


A Witch Finds A True Way

by free_the_muse



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Amity Goes to the Human World AU, Azura everything because why not, Camilia being a good mother, Canon Divergent, F/F, I would take a bullet for them, I wrote this at 2am in a fever dream, IDK how to actually tag this, Mrs. Blight is a big meanie lol, Oblivious!Luz, Soft!Amity, The Twins are absolute icons, There’s a sports episode and it’s really gay folks, also Eda has adopted all the children, and an Azura anime adaptation, and good siblings, azura book club babyyy, featuring gay panic, nerdy dorks, now with more headcanons, only kind vibes here folks, she just wants Luz to be happy in this one, the season one finale has left me broken and starved for content, they are both precious and good, this is mostly fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26235790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/free_the_muse/pseuds/free_the_muse
Summary: Luz Noceda has no friends. The kids at school all avoid her and call her a weirdo, both to her face and in whispers behind her back. She longs to experience a world like the one in "The Good Witch Azura", a magical place full of adventure.It turns out that maybe such a place might exist after all.Or; Luz Noceda meets a quiet girl with green hair at a book convention who turns out to be a witch from another world. A world filled with magic and demons. Bonus, she's an Azura fan too!
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 218
Kudos: 881





	1. Azura, and the Bridge of Pages

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings all! So I don't know about you, but the season finale has me filled with "aaaaaaaaaaaah" lol so it''s time for that good ol' hiatus distraction. This is an AU I've been thinking about for the past two weeks, in which Amity is the one to make the jump to Luz's world instead of the reverse. They will probably visit each other back and forth so we'll be seeing everybody, don't worry. Also I don't have a beta reader or anything so be prepared for some quality mediocrity that I whipped together at 2am. 
> 
> All jokes aside, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

“I know you’re excited, mija, but you need to wear your seat belt.” Her mother’s voice cuts through the exuberant fan rant in Luz’s mind.

She can’t help being excited though! Today was an extra special day, after all.

“Lo siento, mami,” Luz apologizes, calming down and clicking the safety belt in place, “I’m just soo excited for the book convention, and the ultra-secret pre-release of _The Good Witch Azura: Book 5_!”

Luz fought the urge to flail and tell her mom to drive faster. They were only giving away 10 copies today! Luz had heard about the super-secret give away from one of her online _Azura_ fan discussion boards. If she failed in her mission to obtain a copy today, she would have to wait for another 2 months for the official release.

She _needed_ that book!

Her mother, completely oblivious to the woes of being a dedicated fan, smiles warmly at her. “I’m happy that you like reading so much, mija,” she says kindly, “Maybe you might make a friend who likes those books too.”

Luz grimaces, remembering how she has been made fun of at school for liking the _Azura_ series. No one her age appreciates a good story about love, magic, and friendship, it seems. They had all called her a weirdo because she wrote fanfiction and drew fanart of the characters.

_I’m just expressing my love for the series! Why can’t they see that?_

Still, Luz didn’t really want her mom to know about how the other kids treated her at school. She would just worry and feel bad about it.

Luz didn’t care about the mean kids at school anyway. So what if she didn’t have any friends? She had _The Good Witch Azura_ , and the beautifully vibrant world within its pages.

Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to fall into that story, to embrace that colorful land full of adventure and magic…

“Oh, wow, look how busy it is here!” her mother remarks, trying to find a parking space, “It looks like there are a lot of _Azura_ fans, huh?”

“This is actually a modern literature convention, mami, so there’s fans of all books here.” Luz says, trying not to feel to nervous about all the people here today. _Just because there are lots of people here doesn’t mean they’re all here for Azura._ She desperately hopes that there are still copies left. Ten wasn’t a big number, after all.

“I might look around and see if they have any of the new medical journals then,” her mother wonders aloud, sounding excited now too, “You have your phone, right mija? We can meet up at the front entrance and look around some more after you get your book.”

Luz smiles at her mom, loving that they both shared a love of reading. “Esta perfecto, mami.”

The car is barely in the parking space before Luz is whipping off her seat belt and hopping out of the car. “To the convention map board!” She raises her arm in a rallying cheer, before running towards the convention building.

She hears her mom calling out behind her, telling her to be careful and stay in contact via phone.

Luz squints at the map, eyes frantically searching the list of booths for the right one. “Aha! There it is!” sweet triumph washes over her, before she realizes that the booth is all the way at the back of the building. “No time to waste!”

She takes off running, weaving in and out of the crowds of people, ignoring any indignant protests from convention goers. She nearly knocks over three different displays, trips over a stray table banner, and smacks into a cardboard cutout of a grinning teen vampire.

She arrives, haggard and out of breath, at _The Good Witch Azura_ booth. It is being run by a tired looking college student. They look at her and sigh.

“Hey kid, you want a free book?” they offer, holding up a copy of _The Good Witch Azura: Book 5_ as if it wasn’t the entire reason Luz had battled her way to this very location, “I can’t finish my shift until I give them all away, and I only have one left to get rid of.”

“YES! I mean,” Luz clears her throat, “Yes please, I would like that very much thank you.”

She fights the urge to scream victoriously when the book is placed into her hands. Finally! She would get to see what would happen to Hecate in the Woods of Remembrance! And then there’s that whole subplot with Azura trying to free the demon village from the tyrannical ruler Seblo? Soo amazing!

“Thanks kid,” the booth person stretches tiredly, “Now I can close up the booth and go study for my calc final…” another exhausted sounding sigh.

“Wait,” a concerned voice draws Luz’s attention. A girl in a hooded jacket stands a few feet behind her. “Did you just say this booth is closed?”

Luz studies her a moment. Her black hood is pulled over her head, a few locks of mint green hair sticking out from beneath the drawn-up fabric. _It’s the same color as Azura’s…Cool._ She also has honey colored eyes, which for some reason Luz can’t stop looking at. They look so…different. But in a good way!

“Yeah kid, booth’s closed.” The tired operator tells her, “Just gave away the last book.”

The girl’s eyes flit to Luz for a second and she can see the forlorn sadness in them. “Oh.” she sounds so disappointed that something in Luz twists. She barely knew this girl, but something was telling Luz to help her out.

“Are you here for _The Good Witch Azura: Book 5_?” She finds herself asking. _What a dumb question, of course she is._

The girl looks surprised at being addressed by Luz directly. “Yeah,” she seems a bit uncertain, “I had only heard about the pre-release this morning, and it’s hard to travel here, but I really wanted to know what happens with the lost Homunculus, and…” she trails off, grimacing at something, “Anyway, I guess I’ll just have to wait the 2 months and find out.”

Luz looks down at the book in her hands, the triumphantly grinning faces of Azura and Hecate staring back at her. This reminds her of the time Hecate had the choice to give Azura the protective staff of light right before the Battle of Woes. _Hecate chose her friend over her own safety. She believed in Azura._

Luz secretly longs to have a friend like that.

One whom she could share all her precious things with, who would truly understand her and be there for her.

“I have a copy right here,” Luz finds herself saying, “You can borrow it, if you want?” She holds the book out like a bridge between them. Luz silently hopes that this is not taken badly, that her efforts to extend a hand of friendship are not rebuked like all the other times.

The girl says nothing for a moment, caught off guard. Golden eyes stare at her in wonder, a look of pure amazement and surprise. “Really?” the girl’s voice is small, hopeful.

_That’s not a rejection! Oh my gosh, what if I can be her friend?_

Luz grins widely, letting some of her excitement shine through. “Of course! I can tell you love _The Good Witch Azura_ just like I do!” she proclaims, “Us fans should help each other out, right?”

“You don’t have to,” the girl still looks uncertain, pulling her hood a little lower over her head, “I don’t really have anything to offer you in return…”

It is official, Luz _really_ wants to be this girl’s friend. Which is why she moves forward to push the book into her hands. “Don’t be silly! You know you want to read it!” she teases, before offering a softer smile meant to reassure, “Just bring it back when you’re done so I can read it too, okay?”

The girl hugs the book close to her chest and nods solemnly. “Okay, I will. I promise. Uh,” she pauses, a bit uncertain, “Where should I return it, exactly?”

“Do you know where the nature park is? It’s a few blocks down the street from here.” Luz tells her, “We can meet there, if you want?”

She secretly hopes that meeting spot is not too much trouble. _She did say it was hard for her to travel here…_

“That’s fine with me. I should be finished reading it by the end of the week, if you’re free then?” the hooded girl says, starting to look excited. Luz likes the way her whole face lights up when she smiles. It was like watching the sun rise in the early morning. Soft, yet brilliant.

“Sounds like a plan! I’m Luz, by the way. Luz Noceda.”

The girl smiles, a bit shy. “I’m Amity.” _Amity…that’s such a cool sounding name._

“Nice to meet you Amity!” Luz gives her a friendly shoulder pat in lieu of a handshake, “So, you’re wondering about the lost Homunculus, huh? Personally, I theorize that he was made by Hecate in order to safeguard her crystal heart. You know, the one she supposedly destroyed in Book Two in order to rescue Azura from the Keepers of the Lost? I think she actually gave up something else to the Keepers instead, which may have led to her heart needing to be sealed away, or something? I’m still working the details out…”

Luz realizes that jumping into a rant about one of her favorite headcanons may not be the best way to make conversation with someone she has just met. _This is why people think I’m a weirdo! Ugh, no one will ever want to be my friend if I annoy them all the time…_

“That’s a really good theory. They were purposefully vague with the descriptions of Hecate’s sacrifice, and the circumstances around the Homunculus’ arrival to the party.” Amity agrees, looking intrigued, “I also think that the Homunculus was created to act as some sort of key to whatever Hecate is looking for in the Woods of Remembrance.”

Luz was shocked. It all made sense with how the Homunculus was always contrasted against Hecate’s search in the story!

“Oh my gosh, you’re right!” Luz exclaims excitedly, “That would also explain why Hecate couldn’t break through the forest barrier without his help!”

Amity nods along, now looking slightly smug. “That, and his name is literally Kee. So I figured that was also kind of a giveaway too.”

Luz chuckles. “Good point. I wonder what he’s the key for though?”

Amity glances down at the book in her arms. Luz finds that she likes seeing her thoughtful expression too. Amity’s brow creases in a delicate way that Luz can’t help but stare at.

“I’m not sure, but it’s probably related to Hecate’s past.” She guesses.

The moment suddenly hits Luz.

Amity hasn’t made fun of her fan theory. Amity had _actually listened_ to her and shared her own theory. And it was a really good theory!

Amity is so smart and interesting and not mean at all! Luz internally rejoices at her own luck in meeting someone so cool and amazing.

Her phone chooses that moment to ring, the opening theme to _The Goodwitch Azura_ anime blaring from her pocket. Luz smiles apologetically and hits the answer button.

_“Hi mija, I’m at the entrance,”_ her mother’s voice sounds tinny through the little phone speakers, _“Did you get your book?”_

Luz glances at Amity, who is observing her with a nervous sort of interest. “Sort of? I’m heading back now, so I’ll tell you about it when I see you.”

_“Sounds good! We can talk about it over lunch.”_

Luz smiles, tells her mom she loves her and hangs up. Amity stares at her phone with thinly concealed fascination. _It must be my ringtone._

Luz gives her phone a proud little shake. “Like my ringtone? It’s from—”

“ _The Good Witch Azura_ anime.” Amity quickly finishes, before making a face that looks halfway between a pout and a grimace. “I’ve only seen up to season 2 because we don’t have the rest where I’m from, but the animation and story adaptation is really good.”

Luz fights the urge to word vomit about how she has an illegal DVR stash of _all_ the episodes and how they should totally hang out and watch all of them. Instead she decides to try and play it cool.

“I have _all_ of the episodes, we should totally have an _Azura_ marathon!” _Nailed it._

“O-Oh, uh, really?” Amity’s gaze darts around, mouth twisting. Luz immediately panics. _What if I just made her uncomfortable? What if she actually thinks I’m a weirdo? She’s way too cool for someone like me…_

“You don’t have to though!” Luz scrambles to backtrack and recover, “I don’t want you to feel like you have to, or anything I—”

“I’d like that,” Amity’s voice is quiet, hesitant almost, “To watch the show with you, I mean.”

Luz feels so full of _something_. It is warm and light and syrupy sweet in her chest. Like unexpectedly seeing a shooting star. A wish fulfilled. Maybe today was a turning point in her thus far solitary life. Maybe she has finally found her Hecate.

“Okay cool!” Luz can’t help but grin like an idiot, “We can add that on top of our _Azura_ book club!”

Amity’s cheeks flush pink as she surreptitiously fiddles with her hood. “ _Azura_ book club?”

Luz nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! I mean, we are both going to want to rant about whatever happens in Book Five, right? So, _Azura_ book club.” She finishes with a shrug she hopes is casual instead of unsure. She suddenly worries that she has overstepped by assuming Amity would want to talk to her about the book. _What if she already has other friends who are fans? Why would she even want to talk to some weird girl she just met? I totally just came on too strong and assumed..._

Before Luz can think to backtrack again, Amity speaks.

“ _Azura_ book club.” she nods, expression earnest but pink in the cheeks, “I look forward to comparing theories.”

_Me too,_ Luz thinks. Her phone dings with a text from her mom asking her if she got lost. “Oh shoot, I have to go meet up with my mom!” Luz looks back up at Amity, feeling oddly reluctant to leave, “I’ll see you in a week?”

“At the park. I won’t forget.” Amity promises, hugging the book a little closer to her chest. “Bye, Luz.”

_She says my name nice._ “See you later, Amity!”

Later on, Luz would gush to her mother about Amity and how cool she was. Camilia would smile and suggest celebrating Luz’s new friend over their favorite chimichurri sandwiches.

Today was a special day, indeed.

* * *

The portal door closes behind Amity, who is still holding the book to her chest as if to prove that she hadn’t dreamed up everything that had happened to her today.

“Welcome back, kid.” The Owl Lady is stirring a pot of…something, on the stove. Amity supposes that she must be brewing some sort of elixir. It wasn’t really any of her business, though.

“Thank you for letting me use your portal.” Amity thanks her again, as she was taught to always be polite to those older and wiser than she was. 

The Owl Lady waves off her thanks, scoffing into the soup pot. “Don’t thank me kid, it was just business.” She throws a dash of red powder into the pot and stirs, “You got me ingredients and I let you hop on over to the human world and get your little book.” She pauses, looks up at her finally. “Which I see you were able to retrieve successfully. Impressive.”

“Uh, thanks?” Amity really can’t think of anything else to say in response to that.

“What did I just say about thanking me?” The Owl Lady smirks behind a sigh, “Now run on home before those snooty parents of yours throw a fit.”

Amity doesn’t need to be told that twice, so she takes her leave. Still, even if her parents were mad at her for being late coming home it was worth it. She smiles down at the book in her arms.

Today had been special.


	2. Wayward Thoughts and Warm Sunsets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all soooo much for the comments! It really fueled my determination to write! And boy did I write lol this chapter is like, twice as long as the previous one!  
> Once again, I do not have a beta reader, so there will probably be mistakes. Sorry in advance!
> 
> Now, without further ado, let us return to our sweet baby gays!

The days following her little jaunt to the Human Realm pass by at a rate that is both agonizingly slow and entirely too fast. Amity goes through her classes only half aware of the subjects being taught, the annoying ramblings of her so-called ‘friends’ are drowned out amidst the casual thoughts and daydreams she finds herself having. _The Good Witch Azura: Book 5_ is now her new favorite in the series. She had been hard pressed to think it could possibly get better after the fourth book but once again the story absolutely blew away all of her expectations. The emotional plot reveal of Hecate sealing away her memories of Azura, and by extension her _undying love_ for Azura, in order to save her from the Keepers had made Amity cry into her plushies at 2am. She also may or may not have doodled multiple fan sketches as a result. Now that she had finished the book (twice), it was nearly all she could think about.

She wonders if the Human will like it too when she reads it.

That is another thing Amity finds constantly on her mind. What had she even been thinking? Befriending a _Human_? Okay, well maybe they weren’t technically friends because Amity was not sure if Luz— _the Human_ wanted to be friends with her. Surely Amity had lost her mind.

It was only supposed to be a quick retrieval mission; crossover, get the book, and return as soon as possible. All of that went up in smoke the moment she ran into that Human with the sparkly eyes and sunny disposition.

_Ugh, why was she so nice to me?_ Amity had no idea what to make of the situation. Still, she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t looking forward to their meeting tomorrow.

“Hey Mittens,” Edric appears out of nowhere and nearly startles her right out of her desk chair, “How’re things?”

Amity grumbles while smoothing over the papers for class she has just crinkled in her fist. Now her homework would have creases. “Fine. What do you want?”

A light tutting sound and sure enough, Emira is here now too. “Oh baby sister, we only want to know how you’re doing. Go anywhere interesting lately?”

“Get anything interesting lately?” Edric adds on, holding up her secretly stashed away _Azura_ Book 5, “Like _this_?”

Amity acts on pure panic instinct and lunges for the book. They would have to take that book from her cold, dead hands—!

“Woah there!” Edric quickly jumps back, holding the book up out of her reach. “No need to act so hostile, Mittens.” He tosses the book to Emira, who also holds it just out of reach.

_Why can’t I be taller? Ugh!_ Amity internally despairs. Some day she will be older and taller, and they will rue that day! She suddenly gets an idea. _They think they can just do what they want because of height and numbers? Time to even the playing field!_

“Abomination, rise!”

“We just want to know—wha—hey!” Emira gets thrown off balance when Amity rises up on the shoulders of an abomination and snatches the book away. _Ha! Now I have the height advantage!_

She vaguely hears an “Aw, man,” from her brother off to the side.

“You two need to stop going through my stuff.” Amity scolds them, now looking down on them from her perch, “Some of it is private.” And honestly, she doesn’t go through their stuff! So why were they always so nosy?

 _At least the book is okay._ Amity checks it over one more time just to be sure the cover has not been scuffed or damaged.

“We’re sorry.” Her siblings apologize in unison. Amity glances down at them and sees the repentant looks on their faces. _They look so pathetic I can’t even be mad at them…_

“We just wanted to make sure you weren’t doing anything dangerous,” Edric confesses, looking sheepish, “We know that book is impossible to find on the Isles because we tried looking for it to surprise you.”

Emira nods in agreement, fiddling with her braid. “And we just wanted to tell you to be careful, is all. Going to the Human Realm is super illegal.”

 _They know?!_ Amity is about to sputter out some form of excuse when her brother cuts her off.

“Don’t worry we won’t say anything!” Edric starts chuckling, “The look on your face is so priceless tho—oof!” Emira jabs an elbow into him, looking a bit annoyed.

“What he _means_ to say is,” she softens at Amity, “We go there too, sometimes. So it’s okay.”

Oh.

“Yeah Mittens, we just want to know you’re being careful about it, so you don’t get in trouble. We’re the Master Schemers here after all and, no offense, but you’re a total Do-Gooder,” He gives Amity a grin before wincing and clutching at his side, “Ow Emira, your elbows are so pointy!”

Amity feels a twinge of fondness for her two siblings. They could be a total pain like, all the time. But deep down she knows they care about her, which is more than Amity can say about their parents.

“So what did you have to bring the Owl Lady?” Emira asks, lightening the mood, “Ed and I take her shiny stuff.”

Edric nods sagely. “She loves her shiny stuff.”

Amity files that bit of information away for a future occasion. Maybe she could get her something shiny as an extra thank you to the Owl Lady. “She wanted potion supplies, nothing too rare. Mostly healing ingredients.”

There is a brief pause where everyone appears to be pondering something. Amity has no idea what her siblings are thinking about, but her mind is mulling over their words. They did have a point. Edric and Emira had been masters at deceiving their parents for years. Maybe she could enlist their help?

“I’m actually going to the Human Realm tomorrow.” Amity tries to sound nonchalant, “I have to return that book.”

“Return it?” Emira parrots quizzically, brow raising, “To who?”

 _Oh shoot, they don’t know I met a human!_ “Yes, I am going to return it. To, uh,” Amity scrambles, “To the library! I uh, borrowed it from a human library.”

From the looks on their faces, they do not believe her. Not even a little bit. They must still feel bad about earlier though because they do not press it.

“You want us to cover for you?” Edric offers instead, looking excited at the prospect of being an accomplice to mischief. Amity worries that they may be a bit _too_ eager to help her.

“We can tell mother and father that we saw you studying at the library.” Emira supplies, now sporting a similar smirk to her brother. They were definitely in it for the mischief.

“Thanks, you two,” Amity folds her arms, unsure how to express her gratitude. She pouts instead. “Still not cool of you to take my stuff.”

They both drooped in a way that could only be described as cute. “We’re sorry.”

Amity sighs with exasperation, internally fond. “You’re forgiven.”

* * *

True to their word, Edric and Emira cover for her while she quickly absconds to the Owl House after classes finish the next day. Amity is greeted there by the loud bird tube and a tiny but also loud demon. They both proceed to bombard her with questions about her visit, none of which they give her the time to answer.

“King, Hooty, give the girl some space,” the Owl Lady descends the stairs, looking like she has just woken up. She wanders over to the stove and puts on the kettle, scratching her side lazily.

“I didn’t expect you to come back so soon,” she glances at Amity, appraising, “You’re full of surprises.”

Amity remembers that the Owl Lady said not to thank her last time so she briefly fumbles for words. “I guess I am?”’

The wild witch chuckles and starts rummaging through the cupboards. “Well, you know what they say, ‘Life is better when you’re on your toes.’” she pauses, pouting into a can of Scream Beans, “Or maybe it was ‘Life is better when you have all your toes’…? Eh, I can never remember.”

Amity has no idea what to say to that. She has also never heard of either of those sayings.

“You thirsty kid?” the Owl Lady continues, “I got apple blood, nettle tea, Choke-a Cola…”

Amity shakes her head, feeling her cheeks warm. “No, uh, thanks. I’m okay.” She was not expecting such a welcoming response, to say the least.

Last time she came here the Owl Lady seemed so guarded and careful. It had taken Amity nearly an hour of bargaining back and forth before the stubborn witch caved and agreed to help her. _Maybe she trusts me a little more now?_

Amity is not sure how she feels about having the trust of one of the most wanted criminals in the Boiling Isles. It does feel kind of nice, though. Even if her house smells faintly of a trash slug’s insides.

“I’d like to use your portal again, please, if you don’t mind? I brought the same ingredients as last time,” Amity carefully removes a pouch from her shoulder bag and places it delicately on the counter. “I also added in a shiny pen.”

The Owl Lady’s eyes narrow as she stalks closer to inspect the pouches’ contents. “Hmm…I see those two little gossips told you about my affinity for the shiny things in life,” She grins, gold fang glinting in the light, “Ah well, what the heck. You kids remind me of myself when I was your age: young, tenacious, and conniving…” she gives out a wistful sigh before regarding the pen in her hands.

Amity watches as the older witch clicks the pen light on and off several times. After about 10 minutes of this the Owl Lady seems to realize that Amity is still there, waiting. “Oh yeah, sorry, heh,” the woman snorts out a laugh, “Got a bit distracted there…”

She reaches beneath her shirt collar and pulls out a tiny golden key on a string. Seconds later, the portal door unfolds before them.

“A deal’s a deal,” the Owl Lady says with a shrug, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and try to be back before sundown. I need to open up shop in the night market tonight and I don’t want to have to wait around for you to come back.”

Amity nods, trying not to appear too eager to pass through. “I will.”

The Owl Lady smiles. “Have fun, kid.”

* * *

The air always seems to be a little dryer in the Human Realm, Amity thinks. Or maybe it was just this area specifically. Either way, the air feels thinner and Amity takes a second to adjust to it. She pauses to pull up her hood and hide her ears before looking around.

She is back in the old ruins like last time. _It looks like a house. I wonder who lived here?_

Whoever they were, they had obviously gone somewhere else. Amity decides it would be best not to linger too long and exits into the forest.

She has a promise to keep.

A nervous fluttering stirs in her stomach as she thinks about the prospect of seeing the Human again. _Luz._

Did all humans have such shiny eyes that radiate kindness? _And that dopey smile of hers! Ugh, why does it have to be so cute?_

Amity suddenly feels a strange mixture of panic and despair. She _cared_ about this human now, thought about her often. If anyone found out about this she would be so screwed. _It is super illegal just to travel to the Human Realm, let alone_ befriend _one._

But she also knows that she cannot just abandon this…whatever this was. A small part of Amity longed to have just one thing in her life that was hers. Just hers.

N-Not that Luz belonged to her or anything! She just likes the idea of having a friend that is not chosen for her by her parents. This time she won’t let them ruin it either. She will just have to try and keep it a secret.

Hopefully she can.

“So what if you’re going to have an _Azura_ book club thing with a human?” She tries to convince herself, “That doesn’t change anything!”

“Doesn’t change what?” And suddenly _Luz is there_. Right in front of her!

Amity does the only sensible thing and trips backwards over a tree root. Luckily, a leafy bush is there to break her fall so it is painless, aside from her pride.

“Oh my gosh, Amity! I’m so sorry!” Luz is already disentangling her from the bush, taking a moment to brush the stray leaves and twigs off her clothing. _Oh wow, okay she’s touching me._

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Luz is continuing, wide eyes full of regret, “My mom tells me that I’m like a ninja sometimes.” She then does a silly looking chopping motion with her arms that leaves Amity both warm and confused. _What in the world was a “ninja”?_

“Oh, uh, that’s okay,” Amity is quick to reassure her, “I was distracted anyway.”

Luz grins at her, and Amity feels like the image imprints itself on her brain. Humans were so weird…

“Were you perhaps distracted by how good Book 5 is?” Luz guesses, looking smug like she just solved a complicated mystery. Then her expression falters a bit in a way that makes Amity feel a pang of concern. “I mean,” Luz rubs the back of her neck nervously, “I _hope_ Book 5 was good, because the series was really ramping up the plot towards the end of Book 4 and it would be a total let down if—”

“It was good!” Amity cuts her off, unable to watch the girl shrink in on herself any longer. She knows what it is like to have to retract yourself for fear of disapproval and she doesn’t want that for anyone. Especially not Luz.

“It was amazing, actually.” Amity tells her, for once allowing herself to be honest about how she felt. And the book really _was_ amazing. “I think it’s my new favorite in the series.”

Watching Luz’s face light up, starting from her eyes and radiating outward, is something that makes Amity forget how breathing works.

“Ohh now I’m _really_ excited to read it!” Luz’s eyes practically have stars in them. _So cute._

Amity removes the book from her bag, only fumbling a little bit with the clasp. “Here,” she tries not to notice their fingers brushing when Luz takes it from her. _Her hands are so warm. Are all humans like that?_ “T-Thanks again for letting me borrow it.”

Luz tucks the book into a backpack slung over her shoulder. Amity notices that there are a multitude of shiny little button pins scattered along the back of the bag. Most of them are of Azura characters, some are characters from other things, and one is just stripes of color. Amity thinks they are cool, finds herself wanting to ask about each one.

_Maybe I can do something subtle like that too…_

“Of course! That’s what friends do!” Luz draws her attention again, eyes softer now, “We _are_ friends now, right…?” There is a slight uncertainty there that has Amity stumbling over herself to reassure her.

She wants this. She wants to be Luz’s friend more than anything.

“Y-Yes, friends!” Amity blurts out, cheeks burning, “We’re friends. Totally friends.” _Please shut up, me!_

Luz either does not notice her awkwardness or is too nice to comment on it. “That’s really good because otherwise this gift would be really awkward.” Luz is saying as she rummages through her backpack for something. Presumably, a gift for her. Amity holds her breath.

“Aha! Here it is!” Luz holds the item high above her head in triumph. “Luz: 1, Disorganization: 0!” She then does a strange little pointing gesture with her hands that Amity finds both quirky and endlessly charming.

She doesn’t have time to dwell on that though because Luz is kneeling dramatically before her like a seen straight out of _Azura_. “Amity of the Azura Book Club, I hereby offer you this token of our esteemed friendship,” She extends the gift with a flourish that makes Amity snort. _Oh wow, what a dork._ She is hopelessly attached to a total loser. “May it serve you well in future adventures!”

Amity takes the present and holds it carefully in her hands. It’s a bookmark, she realizes. Made from a weighty cardstock paper, with colorful drawings of Azura and Hecate dramatically casting magic side by side, complete with some sort of glittery sparkle ink for the spell effects. It was better than anything Amity’s ever drawn, a truly spectacular piece of fanart.

And it was hers.

Amity tries to keep her hands from trembling. _Luz_ made _this for me…_

“I uh, I’m sorry it’s not that impressive,” Luz is explaining, wringing her hands shyly, “I actually had an issue with the laminator at school and had to start over, so some of it was rushed and…yeah…” she trails off, exhaling a sigh.

_Say something!_ “I love it,” Amity says, pulling it closer to her chest, “It’s actually the best gift I’ve ever gotten…” She hadn’t meant to say that part. Her cheeks heat up. “I’ll treasure it.”

Amity must have committed some sort of faux pax because Luz’s eyes water briefly before the human is furiously scrubbing at them with her hands. _Oh my god did I just make her cry?! Is it because I didn’t get her a gift in return?_

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything!” Amity apologizes, feeling only panic. If Luz hated her now, Amity thinks she might lock herself in her room and cry for a week.

“No, no, that’s not it! I didn’t make you a gift expecting anything in return.” Luz’s voice sounds a little watery and Amity feels a tightness in her chest like a vice grip. “I’m just really happy you liked it, is all. I was…” she smiles in a way that can only be heartbreaking, “I guess I was just worried you would think it was lame, or something.”

Amity looks down at the bookmark and feels many things all at once. How could she ever think of something so heartfelt and painstaking as lame? This, if anything, proved to Amity all the more how amazing Luz was.

Just like the bookmark, Luz was truly one of a kind. She was special, meant to be treasured.

“It’s not lame.” Amity states firmly, brokering no room for argument, “Anyone who says so is obviously just jealous of how unique it is.”

Luz giggles, expression full of relief, and Amity feels victorious. “Thanks, Amity.”

The witch folds her arms, trying to regain some semblance of her composure. “It’s just the truth.”

Neither of them says anything after that, falling into a comfortable silence. Amity can’t help but watch the way the rays of the setting sun glimmer in Luz’s hair, the golden light dancing in her deep brown eyes as they warm her with their gaze.

_Wait, sunset?!_

“Oh shoot, I gotta go.” Amity blurts, before realizing how that could sound, “I’m supposed to be back before dark.”

Luz nods, stiltedly, as if coming out of a daze. “Oh, uh yeah, okay then,” she fiddles with the strap on her bag for a moment, “See you in a week for book discussion? Same time, same place?”

Amity nods hurriedly, already feeling excited at the prospect of ‘next time’. She wishes she did not have to leave Luz in such a hurry. “I’ll be there, I promise.” She turns, offering a shy little wave, “Bye Luz. Thanks again for the gift.”

“Of course!” Luz smiles, wide and warm, waving back. “See you later, Amity.” 

* * *

Later on that night, Amity would finish her diary entry and slip the special bookmark carefully between the pages before tucking the journal back away into its secret hiding spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the writing quality of this one is okay. I mostly wrote this chapter in the wee hours of the morning with little to no sleep because the lumity brain rot has consumed my existence lol hiatus is a struggle.
> 
> But I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!


	3. Introspection and Longing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, I wrote this instead of sleeping lol so here ya go. Also I still don't have a beta reader or anything so any mistakes are totally my bad.
> 
> Also, thank you so much to everyone who left a comment! You guys are the best and I love reading what you have to say!

“Let’s see…” Luz surveys her living room once more before checking over the list in her hand. “Snacks? Check. Beverages? Check. Comfy blankets?” Luz drapes her fluffy _Pok_ _é_ _mon_ blanket over the sofa and adjusts the cushions, “Check.”

Butterflies swarm in her stomach and she fights the urge to jump up and down with excitement.

Today was Azura Book Club Day.

Luz cannot wait to hang out with her new friend again. Especially after how absolutely _amazing_ the latest _Good Witch_ _Azura_ book was! Luz is ready to explode from all of the feelings the installment has left her with. For one, she had never dreamed that her favorite OTP would become canon! She had started shipping Hecate with Azura back in Book 1 when they were forced to team up to escape the Pit of Nightmares.

They were a perfect example of the tantalizing Rivals-to-Friends-to-Lovers trope. A classic!

Still, Luz had not expected the author to actually make it canon. Usually non-heterosexual pairings only thrived in fanfiction. _Love wins again!_

She wonders if Amity also ships Azura with Hecate, remembering how her friend had said that Book 5 was her new favorite.

“Alright mija, I’m going to work now,” her mother strides into the room wearing her blue hospital scrubs, “I should be back by dinner time. There is hot pockets in the freezer and leftover ropa vieja in the fridge if you get hungry in the meantime, but no using the oven, entiendes? I don’t want to come home to another slime explosion.”

_That was one time!_ Luz wants to defend her case, but knows better than to challenge her mom on kitchen rules.

“Lo sé, mami,” Luz nods along instead, “Don’t worry, we’ll be super careful!”

Her mom smiles at her, eyes soft. “Te quiero, mija. I’m happy you found a new friend,” her face falls slightly, “Though I wish I could be here to meet her! Maybe if her parents are okay with it, she can stay for dinner? We can order pizza.”

The thought of Amity having dinner with her and her mom makes Luz feel all bubbly inside. From nervousness, excitement, or fondness, she does not know.

“I’ll ask her when I see her.” Luz hopes that the answer is ‘yes’. She has been waiting all week to see Amity again. Her mysterious new friend with the mint green hair and the uncertain smile.

The days at school had passed by in a vague blur of absent pondering and silly daydreams. Luz barely paid attention to any of the glances she got at school. Honestly, they were probably all perplexed that she hadn’t gotten into any trouble lately.

She couldn’t help it though, her mind was filled with Azura and the magical world within its pages. And the one person she now had to share it with.

* * *

“Remember Mittens, if you go to her house, don’t look into the microwave!” Edric is coaching her while Emira helps Amity pick out something human to wear. Both of her siblings now knew about her secret book club with Luz. She had figured that they would need to be properly informed if she were going to continuously require their help sneaking out to the Human Realm. They had teased her for _days_ over it though.

“What’s a microwave, and why shouldn’t I look into it?” Amity asks, wondering if maybe it was similar to an enchanted mirror.

“It’s like a plastic box thing with a little door and numbered buttons on it,” Emira explains to her, handing her a black hoodie, “Here, this one might be a little big on you because it’s technically mine, but the design is cool. I got it at a Human Party.”

Amity looks down at the print on the front. It has red diamonds, blue paint splatters, and some sort of baseball bat. _Who is ‘Harley Quinn’?_ Amity supposes she must be some sort of human celebrity.

Edric is still trying to warn her about the dangers of the microwave. “…and those invisible little wave things leak through the door window and into your eyes,” he tells her, expression grave, “If that happens, it’s all over. Your eyes will be damaged forever!” He goes on to talk about something called ‘cancer’ but Amity has already stopped listening.

She doubts that Luz will even invite her to her house anyway.

* * *

The walk to their meeting place feels surprisingly long. Either that, or Luz is just overly eager to get there.

It turns out that she is not the only who thought that way. Amity is already waiting for her beneath an oak tree, shifting from foot to foot and adjusting her hood. _She always has her hood up. I wonder if it’s a style choice? It definitely adds an air of mystery!_

“Hi Amity!” she calls out before she can stop herself and Amity jumps, obviously startled by the sudden greeting.

“Oh! Uh, hi Luz,” she offers a small wave in greeting, “How are you?”

Something in Luz relaxes. Maybe it was from hearing Amity’s voice, or seeing that Amity was still the same as she remembers. A tiny part of her worried that Amity would realize that she was a loser and wouldn’t want to be her friend anymore. Or that she secretly didn’t like her and was just being nice to Luz because she felt bad. Why else would someone so cool want to hang out with someone like her?

But no. Amity is here, looking at her with a nervous sort of softness that makes her feel special and important. Luz beams, bright and open.

“I’m doing great now that it’s finally time for our first Azura Book Club!” she does not try to hold back her excitement, “I already set everything up at my house. This is going to be so much fun!”

Amity blinks at her, eyes wide. “Y-Your house?”

“Yeah!” Luz grabs her hand and takes off running, pulling Amity along with her. “Let’s goooo!”

She hears a giggle and looks back to see Amity sporting pink cheeks and a helpless grin. Luz feels light and free, holding her friend’s hand and running through the woods without a care in the world.

They make it to her house in record time, both slightly out of breath.

“Welcome to la casa Noceda!” Luz ushers them inside with a wide sweeping flourish, “Allow me to give you the grand tour.”

Amity follows her and looks around at everything with wide eyes full of wonder. Luz smiles to herself, pleased that Amity seems so interested in her tour.

“Okay, so first we have the living room—complete with provisions for our book club!” Luz casually slaps a hand down onto a bag of chips a little too hard and winces slightly at the crunch, knowing that she probably just broke most of the chips inside. She clears her throat and surreptitiously checks the bag, sighing with relief when the insides feel mostly intact.

Lucky for her, Amity appears to not have noticed any of this. Her friend is currently studying the television with thinly concealed interest. _I wonder if she’s thinking about watching the Azura anime?_

The tour continues as Luz leads Amity into the next room. “Next stop on our tour: the kitchen!” She throws her hand out in a grand gesture, “This is where the best food ever is made! Also known as the food my mom makes.”

She glances over to find Amity staring cautiously at her microwave. Her friend seems to realize Luz is watching her and quickly moves on to look at something else.

“Oh! I have the same _Azura_ mug at home!” Amity points excitedly at the mug rack, “It was a gift from my older brother and sister.”

Luz looks at the mug in question. It was one of her favorites; a special promo item that changes color depending on beverage temperature.

“Your brother and sister sound really cool! I don’t have any siblings.” Luz tells her, idly tracing the mug rim. She thinks her life would have been a lot less lonely if she’d had a brother or sister.

Amity shrugs, looking an adorable cross between exasperated and fond. “Edric and Emira can be obnoxious, and selfish, and they get away with everything! But,” she sighs, fiddling with her hood, “They can also be helpful, and nice, and ugh, I guess they _are_ pretty cool sometimes… don’t tell them I said that though! They would never let me forget it.” Amity finishes with a slight pout that has Luz wanting to pinch her cheeks.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I think you’re the coolest sibling,” Luz says, placing a comforting hand on her arm. The little smile she gets in response leaves her feeling inexplicably off-balance. “Although…” Luz snickers in what she hopes is a playful way and not a nervous one, “I haven’t met them yet, so who really knows…”

“Hey!” Amity giggles and lightly smacks her arm, “I’m way cooler than them! They don’t even read _Good Witch Azura_. Or like, at all, really.”

Luz wants to tell Amity that she doesn’t just like her because she is cool or because she reads Azura. She likes Amity because she’s Amity. She’s still figuring out what that means, but the more Luz learns about her new friend, the more she wants to know. Still, that’s probably a lot to just say out of nowhere, so instead Luz says, “I guess they wouldn’t want to be a part of our book club then!”

Amity grimaces. “They would probably try to crash it and turn it into a prank spree.”

Luz ponders this. A prank spree could be fun. She once replaced all of the parmesan cheese in the school cafeteria with garlic powder. It was pretty hilarious to see the looks on everyone’s faces come Spaghetti Day. Luz got a week’s worth of detention for that stunt, but in her defense, she believed that the lunch lady was secretly a vampire. _She had really pointy teeth and always drank from a thermos! What was I supposed to think?_

Excuses aside, her mom would most likely kill her if she did something like that again. “Probably for the best then.” Luz agrees, “Shall we continue the tour?”

Amity nods, and they move down the hall. Luz points out her mom’s room but they don’t go inside. Finally they reach the end of the hall and by extension, Luz’s room. “Okay, and now the best for last! Drum roll please!” Luz grins at Amity, who looks both excited and unsure.

The door opens, and she allows Amity to enter first. Luz hadn’t really ever shown anyone her room before, aside from her mom. The thought leaves her feeling exposed and uncertain. _What if Amity thinks I’m a loser because of my anime posters and manga collection?_

Luz fights the urge to fidget as she watches Amity move about the room. Her friend studies everything around her with a level of intensity that makes Luz decidedly nervous.

“So uh, what do you think?” She tries to sound relaxed about it, as if Amity’s opinion couldn’t totally wreck her.

For her part, Amity appears to snap out of whatever serious observation mode she is in and clears her throat. “It suits you. I really like it.”

Luz exhales, feeling like she just avoided a disaster.

“Sorry for not saying so right at the beginning,” Amity is apologizing now, looking nervous, “I was caught up in looking at everything. I really like your uh, little statuettes.”

It takes Luz a moment to figure out what she is referring to, but when she does she grins. “My figurines? Yeah, they’re pretty cool, right? I have Hecate and Azura here on my desk and then over there,” she points to a shelf across the room, “I have Diana and Akko from the Little Witch Academia anime.”

Amity moves in for a closer look at the figurine on the shelf. Luz really liked that one; it was from the show finale where Akko and Diana used the Shiny Rod to save the world together.

“Are they… flying on a broom?” Amity stares at the figurine with a furrowed brow and a confused expression. _She has probably just never heard of the anime before and doesn’t know that they’re supposed to be witches._

“Yeah, the anime is about this group of friends who go to a school for witches,” Luz explains, “They end up saving magic by using the power of friendship—it’s really cute!”

Amity appears to be processing this as she studies the figurine renewed interest. “I see… and these two are the main characters, I’m assuming?”

Luz nods, eager to talk more about one of her favorite anime. “Yeah, the girl with brown hair is Akko, she’s the main character who dreams of spreading joy through magic.” Amity looks pleased with this explanation, so Luz continues on. “The other witch is Diana Cavendish. She’s like, the smartest witch in the school and comes from a long line of noble witches. At first, they make it seem like she’s stuck up, but she actually turns out to be this big softie who loves magic and wants to help people!”

Amity studies the two of them quite intently for a moment. Luz wonders what she’s thinking about. She decides to just keep talking about the show. She explains a bit about the other characters, and some other minor plot points that won’t be too spoiler-y in case Amity decides to watch it.

“…And Diana and Akko are basically in love by the end of it. It’s so sweet how they help each other grow and love magic even more.”

Amity quickly turns away from the figurine, face flushed. Luz finds it endearing.

“O-Oh. I see. That’s, uh,” Amity clears her throat, cheeks dark, “Sounds good. The show, I mean. Very interesting plot.”

_It’s kind of cute when she gets all red and flustered._ Luz decides not to tease her, but she feels tempted to just so she can see her friend blush more. _At least I know now that she’s not weirded out by girls liking girls. Yay acceptance!_

“Speaking of interesting plots…ready to start the book club?”

* * *

Several hours of deep fan theory debate, three episodes of the _Good Witch Azura_ anime adaptation, and one minor mishap with microwaveable popcorn later, Luz’s mom comes home. Camillia finds the both of them bundled up together in a _Pikachu_ blanket on the couch and huddling over fandom shipping diagrams. Luz was having a lot of fun explaining the different kinds of ships to her new friend.

Camillia smiles and puts down her purse. “Hi girls!” she offers Amity a little wave. She had not been expecting the green hair and the drawn up hood on Luz’s friend, but her mother’s intuition said not to worry about this one. Regardless, Camillia is just happy that her daughter finally has a friend who makes her light up like that. “I’m Luz’s mom, Camillia.”

The girl quickly shoots up from the couch. “I-It’s nice to meet you!” she stutters, looking a bit mortified, “I’m Amity.”

“I’m so happy Luz found somebody so polite!” Camillia exclaims, pleased, “And it’s nice to meet you too. Did Luz ask you to stay for dinner?”

Luz’s eyes widen. “Oh my gosh I forgot!” She turns to Amity, “My mom was thinking of getting pizza, if you want to stay?”

Amity’s expression falls. “I really wish I could,” she says, longing in her voice, “But I have to be home for dinner.”

Camillia watches the two of them deflate like saddened puppies. She also can’t help but feel a little bummed that Amity couldn’t stay. She wants to get to know the girl a little better.

“Maybe next time then?” she tries to lighten the mood.

Then two girls on the couch share a small smile full of hope and promise.

* * *

“Thanks for coming to hang out, I really had a lot of fun.” Luz speaks as she walks Amity back to the park. The air is filled with a quiet sort of melancholy that comes from a reluctance to part ways.

Amity nods, looking a bit sad. “Yeah, me too.” she already sounds lonely, which tugs at Luz’s heartstrings.

She stops and pulls Amity into a slightly stiff hug, trying to convey everything that she is feeling without words. _I’m not going anywhere._

Amity gradually relaxes into her and hugs her back. They just stand there for several moments, breathing and holding each other close. _This feels really nice..._

Too soon, they part. Amity looks a little bit smaller than before, her arms folding over her chest as if to hold herself together. “I’ll miss you.” She quietly admits.

Luz nods, feeling the words take perch in her chest. “I’ll miss you too.”

A moment passes, and then another.

Luz suddenly perks up. “Oh! Can I have your phone number? We can call each other and talk during the week.”

Amity’s gaze falls to her shoes, expression filled with both longing and resignation. “I don’t have a phone number…”

“Oh that’s okay!” Luz tries not to let her disappointment show. _I just want to talk to her more…_ “My mom didn’t let me have a phone until last year so no worries, okay?”

Amity looks back up at her, seemingly comforted. “Okay.”

“I’ll find a way for us to chat eventually,” Luz assures her, meaning every word. What if she can modify some walkie talkies? She would just need to somehow extend the range in order to reach however far away Amity lived. But she will figure it out! She will even train a carrier pigeon if she has to!

“Never fear, Amity!” Luz proclaims, fist clenched dramatically over her heart, “Luz Noceda is on the case!”

Amity finally smiles again, eyes soft. “You’re such a dork.”

“You know you love it!” Luz quips back playfully, pleased when Amity’s face goes red and she starts sputtering incoherently. It is always fascinating watching cool and quiet Amity get all flustered. _It’s not even fair how cute she is!_

“W-Whatever!” Amity blurts, blushing like a tomato.

Luz can’t help but laugh at the now grumpy look on her friend’s face. She really is going to miss Amity this week.

She pulls her friend into another hug, and this time Amity is quick to return it. “I’ll see you in a week, right?” Luz murmurs into her shoulder, “Same time? Same place?”

This time she notices that Amity smells like parchment paper and chamomile tea. “Yeah,” Amity’s hold tightens almost imperceptibly, “I’ll be here. Promise.”

Later on that evening, after parting ways and returning home. Luz sits on her bed and stares longingly out the window at the nature park across the way.

She already misses her.

* * *

_Dearest Diary,_

_I went to Luz’s house today for our book club, and for the first time in years I genuinely had fun. She’s so funny and sweet and she smells like citrus fruit and maybe that’s a strange thing to notice about a person? I don’t know. I feel weird around her, but in a good way? With her, I can just be myself instead of worrying about mother and father and our family’s reputation. I wasn’t expecting her to suddenly ~~embrace~~ hold me like that either, but it was nice. Her arms are firm. Comforting, even. Ugh, I don’t know why I’m even talking about her arms! All of this feels so new and kind of maddening to think about, really. I am also aware that our friendship is like, super illegal, and that if people find out about this I will be in big trouble, but…I find that, for the first time ever, I don’t care. I refuse to give up seeing Luz! I am tired of having all of the things I care about taken away from me. Not this time. Let Willow be the last friend I will ever lose._

_P.S. Should I tell Luz the truth? Will she hate me for deceiving her about being a witch? I’m terrified of losing her as a friend but I want to be honest with her. She deserves honesty._

_P.P.S. I miss her already._

***Pictured beneath the entry is a colored pencil drawing of Amity alongside a human with short brown hair and a beaming grin, both standing together atop a soaring broomstick and surrounded by little hearts that have been hastily scribbled over and replaced with stars.***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, how was it? Also sorry if the formatting for this was weird, Ao3 hates me lol
> 
> Until next time!


	4. Truth, Love, and Basketball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gays play basketball and fall for each other.  
> ( lol it's the sports episode...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy this chapter is a doozy y'all! Longer word count than like 2/3 of the fic thus far! I also wrote this at like 2am so please don't hate me if there's mistakes.
> 
> I really had fun playing around with Jock!Amity this time, also if anyone is confused about scoring in Basketball: basically all baskets are worth 2 points here, except for ones made from behind the three point line. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Amity might have a problem.

It has now been 4 weeks since their first book club meeting. A solid month of hanging out and talking and growing closer and Amity still hasn’t been able to tell Luz the truth. _What am I even supposed to say to her? “Oh hi Luz, by the way, I’m not actually a human, I’m a witch from another world! Also, magic and demons are real, and I’m technically not allowed to be your friend or even see you but I’m keeping it a secret from everyone I know except for my trouble-making siblings and a wanted fugitive, so it’s totally cool!”_

Amity sighs in defeat, nervously adjusting her hood and trailing along behind Luz. They were going somewhere to play a game called ‘basketball’, which apparently involved an orange striped ball and goal-hoop-nets. Luz had suggested they try to reenact some of the moves from _The Good Witch Azura 2: Field of Deadly Fates_ film. (Amity secretly loves that movie, so she is actually kind of excited for this despite not really knowing what exactly basketball is.)

But then she feels guilty again. The longer this charade goes on, the worse she feels about it. Luz deserves to know the truth. Amity _wants_ her to know, despite being terrified of the backlash. She wants to tell Luz everything, for them to know everything about each other.

She’s afraid Luz will be mad at her for lying to her.

Amity sighs again, internally despairing. _Will she not want to see me anymore?_ She fiddles with her hood again, feeling increasingly insecure. _What if she thinks my ears look weird?_

“Everything okay?” Luz has stopped walking and is looking at her with concern. Amity feels a swell of both warmth and anxiety.

“I-I’m fine!” she’s quick to reassure, waving away the worry, “I just, well, I’ve never played basketball before…” _That’s technically true, though that’s not what’s tying my stomach in knots._

Luz must believe the excuse though, because she brightens immediately. “Oh Amity, don’t worry!” she chuckles, taking her hand and resuming walking.

Amity’s pulse quickens because they are now essentially walking while holding hands. Luz. And her. Holding hands and walking together. _This doesn’t actually mean anything, right? Humans probably just view hand holding differently._ She also suddenly realizes that Luz is still talking to her.

“—and that’s the gist of it.” Luz finishes, swinging their joined hands between them. “Pretty easy rules to remember, right?”

Amity internally winces. She has missed the entire explanation, it seems. Does she dare ask Luz to repeat herself? She really should pay more attention to her friend and stop being so in her head. Her mother would scold her for being inattentive, were she present. _I’m really glad she isn’t..._

Luz seems to take her silence for uncertainty, offering her a reassuring smile. “We’re here now, so why don’t I just show you?”

Amity looks around at where they are. Firstly, she notes that the area is deserted. Then she sees two large courts, composed of some sort of black concrete with white painted lines. Each court also has a net-hoop-thing on either side. It all vaguely resembles a Grudgby field, Amity realizes. Though the size, shape, and angle of the goal hoops are different, meaning the required trajectory of the ball would change. _And they probably don’t use magic to help them score…_

“Watch this!” Luz shouts out suddenly, and Amity can only stare helplessly as she takes off running across the court. She then notices that Luz is steadily bouncing the ball against the concrete with one hand as she runs. _That must be a rule of this game._

Luz smirks, switching the ball to her other hand as she dips into a smooth turn. Amity can’t help but be impressed, unable to tear her eyes away from her the fluidity of her friend’s form. Luz halts before the basket, springing up and tossing the ball into it with a satisfying ‘swoosh’. It looked completely effortless, but Luz grins sheepishly and rubs the back of her neck. “Heh, I’m glad I made that one!” she says with a nervous chuckle, “It would’ve been really embarrassing to miss it after that fancy foot work I did…”

Amity can’t help the giggle that bubbles up in her chest. Even after doing something so cool, Luz still acts modest and sweet. It was helplessly endearing.

“You want to try?” Luz is holding the ball out to her, and Amity takes it carefully.

It feels firmer than a Grudgby ball, and the surface is rougher too. Amity tries bouncing it a couple times against the ground just to get a feel for it. It’s not nearly as difficult as she thought it would be, and the sound it makes against the concrete is satisfying. She alternates hands a few times just to experiment.

“Wow, you picked up dribbling fast!” Luz beams, encouraging her to try more.

Amity tries walking while dribbling, finding it a little bit harder but still managing to not have to slow her pace. She would probably be able to run while dribbling too, she thinks. Luz walks with her, cheering her on.

“You’re already doing so good!” she tells her excitedly, “Are you sure you haven’t played this before?”

Amity slows as she approaches the net until she is just dribbling in place. “I’m sure I haven’t played this, but…I was good with other sports at my school.”

A slight frown emerges in Luz’s expression. “’ _Was_ ’? Did something happen?”

Amity thinks about how she had let her team down and injured her teammates. Her mother had been so proud that they had won the championship game, but Amity had felt horrible about the whole thing. She hasn’t played since.

She grimaces. “Yeah…my team,” she sighs, casting her eyes away towards the hoop, “My team got hurt because of me, because of what I did.”

Luz waits for her to elaborate, so Amity does. “I thought it would be cool to change our play last minute and we won the championship, but…” She trails off, remembering the pained looks on her teammates faces, the medic-witches sprinting onto the field to carry them away for treatment.

Amity had held the trophy alone that day.

“I let them down. I failed them as their Team Captain, and they got hurt because of my selfishness.”

“Hey,” Luz’s hand is on her shoulder, a comforting warmth, “Don’t be so hard on yourself, okay? Nobody’s perfect.” _But I have to be._

Still, Amity feels a bit better having talked about it. “Thanks, Luz.”

She then proceeds to try, and fail, to throw the ball into the hoop-net. It had bounced off the rim. She would need to adjust her aim a bit, it seemed.

“Sorry.” Amity feels compelled to apologize for her poor performance, but Luz is quick to pat her shoulder and retrieve the ball.

“That was a really good first attempt,” she hands her the ball back with a smile, “Here, hold it a bit more like this and try adjusting your shoulders and elbows when you throw...”

Luz is suddenly behind her, hands lightly coming to rest on her shoulders to move them into position. Amity tries not to jump from the contact, the touch sending scorching sparks of lightning beneath her skin. She holds her breath as Luz’s hands move down her arms to adjust her elbows.

“There,” Luz’s voice is muted, soft, _close,_ “Try it now.”

Amity’s heart is pounding so hard she can feel her hands shake. It’s no wonder she misses again, really. “S-Sorry!”

Luz moves back and shakes her head, smile still in place. “That was still better! You’ll get it with practice, don’t worry. I still miss shots, and I’ve been playing for _years_.” That does make Amity feel a bit better.

They spend some time practicing shooting and dribbling the ball around. Well, it is more like Amity is practicing and Luz is showing her different tricks and tips to try out, but it’s actually quite fun. She even masters the shooting technique! Amity had forgotten how much she enjoyed playing sports. Basketball makes her miss Grudgby, and she decides then that she might think about trying out for the team again next year.

Currently, they are attempting to recreate a play that Azura used against Gaindolf The Chad, _The Mirror Mirage_. It was a move that usually required Illusion magic in order to create body doubles that would help the caster score. The general idea was that no matter where the caster passed the ball, a double would be there to catch it and coordinate. This combination of perfectly synchronized passing allowed the caster advance forward while confusing the opposing team.

Now, seeing as they can’t actually use magic in basketball, Amity and Luz are pretending to be caster and double, respectively. It is mostly just them running around, laughing and passing the ball to each other while dodging imaginary enemies with increasingly absurd moves. Amity hasn’t had this much fun in a long time.

“Time for the Finishing Move! Amity catch!” Luz’s battle cry has Amity fighting back giggles and running up to receive the ball.

She has fun imagining that she’s dramatically surrounded by the enemy team and the stakes have never been higher. There is a whole sports commentary running in her head. _“Aaand here it is folks! The Blight-Noceda team is going to perform the Mirror Mirage!”_

She does a comedically exaggerated fake before turning around and passing it back to Luz, who had moved further up. She listens to the chorus of an imaginary cheering crowd as she watches Luz take the shot, as if in slow motion. _So cool…_

The ball rebounds off the rim and is caught suddenly by a tall girl with long auburn hair and a cruel smirk. Amity immediately has a bad feeling about this.

There are two other girls with the first, she notes, one was a tall blond and the other shorter with dark hair and glasses. They must have just arrived.

“Well look who it is,” the girl with the ball sneers at Luz, “It’s the town weirdo!”

Luz immediately pales, and an expression that Amity has not yet seen crosses her face: fear.

The other two snicker, and Amity feels a fire ignite in her stomach. It’s hot and blinding and takes her by surprise. _How dare they?! I won’t let them get away with this! But what can I do to stop them? I… I can’t risk exposing myself as a witch…_

Conflicting emotions wage war within her chest and keep her silent. She clenches her fists at her side, trying to hold herself back from doing something drastic like raising an Abomination to throw them all through the basketball hoop. She really wants to avoid causing trouble in the Human Realm and blowing her cover in front of Luz.

“I’m surprised she even knows what basketball is!” The blonde girl laughs cruelly, “Was it in one of your wacky little fantasy books?”

Luz shrinks immediately, eyes downcast.

The last girl with dark hair folds her arms. “She’s probably trying to sabotage the basketball courts with her weirdness. Like she did in the music room at school with all of her disgusting snakes.”

Luz looks so small now, shoulders hunched inwards, defeated. “Can I just have the ball back, please?” Even her voice sounds devoid of the light Amity adores, “We’ll leave.”

Auburn Hair smirks, eyes glinting with malice. “What, this ball?” She holds it aloft tauntingly, “I don’t think you need it if you’re leaving, right?”

Amity suddenly realizes who this girl reminds her of. _Boscha._

“You know what?” Auburn Hair continues callously, “I think we’ll keep it. A loser like you doesn’t need it anyway. Now why don’t you go be a freak somewhere else?”

Finally, Amity can’t bear it anymore and lets herself snap. _To the Titan with this, I’m not letting them hurt her!_

“The only thing freakish here is your desperate need for validation.” Her voice is hard, biting, and all eyes immediately fall upon her. “How sad.”

If there was one thing that Amity Blight knew how to do, it was to put people in their place. She had learned from watching the best, after all. Amity knew what cruelty looked like, could shape it into a mask that she wore like battle armor in her fight to protect herself.

Auburn Hair looks her up and down, scowling, but Amity sees it in her eyes. Weakness. “O-Okay chill out there, Hooded Kermit,” the girl huffs, already backpedaling in the wake of Amity’s sudden barb, “Do you even know this girl?” she gestures towards Luz, who is staring at Amity with wide eyes, “She’s a total wack-o who brought a dead bird, filled with _live spiders_ , to school!”

“It wasn’t a _real_ dead bird, Becca!” Luz is quick to interject, “And it was for my anatomically correct model of a griffin! I read that they have spider breath...”

Amity fails to find any reason why Luz’s actions were strange. It just sounds to her like Luz had simply done some extra-curricular study. _These nitwits must not know anything about Beast Keeping, if they’re freaking out over the most basic anatomical traits of a griffin._

“I rest my case,” the auburn-haired girl, Becca, crosses her arms and sneers, “She’s a crazy nut job who doesn’t belong here.”

The blonde girl snorts. “Or anywhere, really.”

“What _really_ doesn’t belong here,” Amity narrows her eyes at them, “Is your juvenile behavior. Trying _so hard_ to alienate anything that has more interesting qualities than you do? It’s pretty pathetic, actually. I’d much rather spend time with this ‘weirdo’,” she casts an affectionate glance at Luz before going back to glaring at them again, “Than with you insecure losers.”

There’s a beat of silence where they all just stare.

“ _Losers?_ ” Becca scoffs, “You talk big, but I bet you can’t even back it up.”

“Try me,” Amity challenges with a sneer of her own. _There’s only one way to deal with someone like Boscha._ She nods towards the ball in Becca’s grasp. “Why don’t we play to see who stays? Oh, and if we win, you apologize to Luz for your boorish behavior.”

Luz is about to protest that last part, probably trying to lessen the confrontation, but Amity silences her with a pointed brow raise that leaves the human girl with pink cheeks.

Becca laughs incredulously, not noticing the exchange. “’Boorish behavior’, what are you, an SAT prep book?” Amity has no idea what that even is, but based on the context she assumes it is an insult. “Why would I even play you anyway? I’m on the team at school so I could beat you both in a heartbeat.”

Amity shifts her weight to appear more imposing. “It sounds to me like you’re trying to back out of a challenge. Scared of losing?” She lays the taunt on as thick as she can, knowing that if her hunch about Becca is right, she will have to accept. _Pride is a weapon your enemy will use against you,_ her mother’s lessons linger like a ghost in the back of her mind, _which is why you must wield theirs against them first._

“Fine, we’ll play two on two, first to 10 wins,” Becca shrugs, taking the bait as planned, “Oh, and _when_ we win, Luz is banned from this court for _life_.”

Amity is about to argue against those ridiculous terms but surprisingly Luz cuts in. “We accept those terms!” Her friend declares boldly, looking much more like herself again. _If she’s okay with it, then I guess it’s game on._

“I call being referee!” The blonde girl blurts out, looking suddenly nervous. Probably because she doesn’t want to play.

Becca scowls. “No. I want you to be my second, Kara. Let Jessica referee.”

Kara opens her mouth to protest, but Becca cuts her off. “If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone else on the team that you chickened out against Luz the Loser.”

“F-Fine! Let’s just get this over with.” Kara huffs, folding her arms and looking like a child who was denied candy.

“She’s right to pick you, Kara. You’re better than me at sports anyway,” the dark-haired Jessica says with a shrug of her shoulders, offering a slightly strained smile, “It’s why you made the team and I didn’t…”

Kara frowns then, looking troubled. “Jess…”

Amity watches them share a brief glance as Becca starts talking again.

“Now that _that’s_ over and done with, let’s get this show on the road!”

* * *

Luz has no idea if they can win this. She is also confused on how they ended up playing for her basketball court rights in the first place. She remembers Becca, Kara, and Jessica showing up to pick on her like they do at school sometimes, but then…

Then Amity had stood up for her. Defended her. And um, wow, she was surprisingly cool doing it? Not that she wasn’t cool before! It was just a new, different kind of cool that made it sort of hard to breathe. She can still see the whole thing in her mind like an instant replay, too.

Amity, strong and unyielding, sharp and biting, protective and stern…Confident Amity was _cool_. She was all piercing eyes and a challenging smirk, like some sort of stylish anti-hero!

Luz really needs to stop fangirling and get her head in the game. She is nervous about this whole thing. She’s never actually played a game of basketball with other people before. Not having any friends meant no one to play with. She had always liked shooting hoops and dribbling though, because it was a fun sports activity that did not require more than one person.

Also, Becca was like, the _best_ player on the basketball team! And Luz and Amity weren’t even _on_ a team! There was no way they could—

“Hey,” a hand rests itself on her shoulder, feather light as if not even there at all. Amity is there beside her, the soft one who gives shy little smiles. “We got this, okay?”

 _I wouldn’t mind losing,_ Luz thinks suddenly, _as long as I can play on a team with Amity._ She grins, feeling lighter. “You got a plan?”

Amity chuckles, folding her arms and looking confident once more. “Yeah, it’s called _winning_.”

* * *

So. Amity had no plan for how they were actually going to pull this off. Her plan so far is:

Step 1) Wing it.

Step 2) Win.

~~Step 3) Get a victory hug from Luz.~~

So far it feels like a really solid plan. It might need a few more of the finer details hashed out, but overall she finds that she likes the end result.

“Okay,” Jessica holds the ball, looking between the two teams lined up to start. “First to ten points wins, standard point rules, yada yada, you know the drill,” she sighs and rolls her eyes, “Also no free throws and anything goes because I don’t feel like calling fouls.”

Amity wants to ask why they even need a referee if there isn’t going to be any refereeing happening, but she decides against it.

Without further warning, the ball is tossed up between them to start the game. Amity immediately leaps for it, only for Becca to get there first due to a height advantage. She knocks Amity off balance and shoves past her.

“You’ll have to do better than that, Kermit!” She cackles as she sprints down the court, skidding to a stop before the net. She lobs the ball into the net without any effort at all, casting them both a taunting smirk.

Amity grits her teeth, feeling the red-hot fires of competition ignite within her chest. _Oh, it’s **on** now!_

The ball is theirs and Amity wastes no time pressing forward. She might be new to this sport, but if there’s one thing Amity knows how to do, it is win.

She slips past Kara with grace and uses that momentum to turn away from Becca and pass the ball back to Luz, who darts past them and scores.

“How’s _that_ for better?” Amity can’t help but gloat as she walks away. Revenge is sweet, after all. Luz jumps up and down excitedly, insisting that they do ‘high fives’ (a human tradition of slapping hands in celebration, which Amity is quite fond of). They share the moment of levity before she reminds Luz that they haven’t won just yet.

And then it’s back to the game.

Becca and Kara are both surprisingly agile, given their stature, and Amity finds herself relying on Luz’s quirky playstyle to break them apart. They score a couple more times, once thanks to sheer dumb luck when Luz accidently trips and sends the ball flying from her grasp and into the basket.

Jessica had shrugged and said that it counted, much to the ire of Becca. Kara had to calm her down after that one.

Then Becca starts playing rougher, going as far as bodily shoving Amity to the ground when she went to score. Normally, this wouldn’t be something Amity worried about, having played with Boscha on numerous occasions, but what if Luz got hurt? She would need to get creative here to make sure Luz wasn’t put into harm’s way.

After several failed attempts to score again, Amity begins to notice a pattern to the other team’s play style. Whenever she and Luz have the ball, Becca and Kara would wait until they got closer to the net. Then they would gang up on whoever had the ball, which usually resulted in their shots and passes being brutally blocked. They didn’t make it easy to steal the ball back either, because they were both a lot taller than the two of them and knew how to throw their weight around. Becca was especially aggressive about it. Kara at least had the decency to help them up whenever she knocked them to the floor.

Amity decides to change tactics, pausing and rolling up the sleeves of her hoodie to cool off her skin. _I may not be able to overpower them, but I can probably out-throw them!_

She could do it, she thinks. Basketballs were certainly lighter than Grudgby balls, and Amity had once prided herself on being able to score from the scrimmage line during her days as Team Captain. Amity had quite the arm, and hopefully these two dummies wouldn’t see it coming.

She pauses at half court with the ball clutched in her hands, and takes a calming breath in. _It’s closer than the Grudgby goal, and if I arch the trajectory they can’t block it._ She exhales a breath that comes out feeling like steam. She was definitely sweating now. _Here goes everything!_

* * *

Luz watches Amity skid to a halt at the half court line with slight confusion. This quickly changes to awe as she watches her friend’s expression shift to one of pure focus. _Is she going to try and score from all the way back there?_

She barely finishes the thought before Amity’s body coils taught like a spring and releases in one of the most perfectly controlled displays of raw power Luz has ever seen.

It’s like the scene unfurls in slow motion before her eyes.

The tightening of calves, the ripple of muscle in the arms and shoulders, the sheer determination burning within those golden eyes like hot coals…

Luz doesn’t start breathing again until the ball swooshes through the net. “ _Wow._ ”

* * *

“What the—” Becca is a comical mix of shocked and angry, “Kermit can shoot threes from half court?”

“Dude, not even _you_ can do that!” Kara exclaims, looking amazed.

Becca slaps her hard in the shoulder, absolutely fuming. “Shut _up_ Kara! If you weren’t such a lazy idiot this wouldn’t have happened!”

Kara looks about ready to argue her case when Jessica cuts in. “First off Becca, rude,” She shakes her head dismissively, “Second off, the score is now 6 to 9, so you better not let them score again or else they win.”

That only seems to make Becca angrier as she stomps off to retrieve the ball from where it had rolled away.

Amity looks back at Luz, who’s staring at her in a way that makes her feel warm in the tips of her ears. “One more point Luz, and we win.” She says, trying to expel the fluttering in her stomach. She feels positively euphoric after making that shot. And now Luz is looking at her like _that_ …Amity might actually explode from the amount of pride she feels.

“Right!” Luz agrees with cheer, “Nothing can stop this dynamic duo!”

Amity can’t help the giggles that bubble up to the surface, she feels like she’s on top of the world.

That all quickly changes when Becca storms past them, slamming the ball down into the net. “Take that, losers!” She growls, looking a bit unhinged.

“Match point,” Jessica drawls from the sidelines, “Next team to score takes the game.”

Amity feels the fear sink in as she goes to retrieve the ball. If Becca was able to score one more time, they would lose. Luz would never be able to play here again. What if it’s her fault they lose? Will Luz blame her and not want to be her friend anymore? Amity suddenly feels unsteady on her feet, like the ground beneath them is crumbling away. _I can’t fail, I—_

“Amity?” Luz stands before her, eyes bright and warm and comforting like the sun in winter. “Everything ok?”

Amity nods because she doesn’t trust her voice right now, knows it will break just like her resolve.

“Don’t worry, we just need one point and we win!” Luz tells her cheerfully, “We can win this together.”

Amity feels a bit lighter in the wake of Luz’s optimism. “Yeah.”

“Yay Amity!” Her friend’s encouraging grin does not waver. “Say it with me: ‘We can win this together’!”

Amity feels warmth travel up her neck to sit in her cheeks. “Uh…”

“C’mon…” Luz coaxes.

“We can win this,” Amity fights off a deepening blush, “Together…”

“Hey!” Becca’s sharp voice pops the little bubble of happiness they were in. “Pep talk’s over, weirdos! Let’s finish this already!”

Strangely enough, Amity feels better. As if by getting her to say those words, Luz had banished her fears like some sort of spell. _Time to win this thing._

“Hey Luz,” she feels powerful, confident, like nothing can stop them. Which is why she comes up with a ridiculous idea. _We can win if we take them by surprise._ “Want to try the _Mirror Mirage_?”

Luz breaks into a full-face grin that shines like the dawn. “Oh my gosh, yes! Let’s tag team these guys!”

And so they take off down the court together, Amity passing it to Luz as they approach Becca and Kara.

“Amity!” She hears Luz shout and sees the ball thrown upward. Luckily, this time she jumps first, snatching the ball from the air before Becca can reach it. She twists around the blockers and rushes toward the net.

“Not so fast shrimp!” Becca is suddenly towering over her, blocking her path. Amity tries to fake her out and skirt around her, but Becca is not falling for it. Kara is catching up to them, and Amity has only a few split seconds before she’s trapped between them with no way out.

There’s no time to think.

She has to try and take the shot, hoping that Luz will be there if she fails. That’s what the _Mirror Mirage_ was all about, in a way. Knowing that someone would be there, always.

“Luz!” Amity leaps backwards, hoping for enough space to aim and goes for the shot. Becca jumps up to block her, but she’s a moment too late, fingertips barely skimming the surface of the ball. It is enough to change its course though, and Amity can only helplessly watch as the ball veers to the left. _It’s going to miss the hoop!_

“Eat this sucka!” Luz is suddenly there, having leapt into the air. She slams the ball down into the net with a force that shakes the board, hanging for about half a second before she drops to the ground on wobbly legs. Amity feels like her heart has stopped and restarted itself about five times in the past five seconds. _Incredible…_ Luz was there. They won.

“We won.” She breathes, barely believing it.

“We did it Amity!” Luz happily proclaims between pants, wiping the sweat from her neck with her shirt. Amity can’t look away from the action. _Oh, wow, sports…_

She internally scolds herself for being ridiculous and picks up the ball.

Jessica and Kara are whispering to each other while Becca practically steams.

“I bet you think you’re soo cool just because you got in a few lucky shots,” She grumbles bitterly, “We’ll see what happens next time…”

Kara pats her on the shoulder consolingly. “C’mon Bec, it was a good game.”

Jessica nods along. “A win is a win.”

Becca shrugs them off and stomp over to Amity. She scowls, but offers her hand to shake. “A deal’s a deal.” She sighs as Amity takes her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “We lose this round, but next time you won’t take us by surprise so easily.”

“What she _means_ is, you were really good!” Jessica chimes in.

Becca huffs, looking irritated. “Whatever.”

Kara is shaking hands with Luz. “You might be a total weirdo girl, but that was an awesome alley-oop!” She compliments somewhat hesitantly, before adding, “Sorry for the things I said about you earlier.”

“Me too,” Jessica agrees, “Sorry Luz.”

Luz rubs the back of her neck, looking a bit bashful from all the attention. “Heh, thanks.”

There is a pause where everyone turns to look at Becca, expectant. A deal was a deal, and she still hadn’t apologized. The girl looks around the group petulantly before she finally caves.

“Ugh fine!” She barks, face flush with embarrassment, “I’m sorry, okay? Happy?”

Luz looks shocked that she had actually said it. Amity feels smug when she replies, “Quite.”

This only causes Becca to growl at her and storm off in frustration. Kara and Jessica reluctantly follow after her. There are several beats of silence after they leave where Luz and Amity just watch them all leave.

“That,” Luz says slowly, “Was. Amazing!”

Amity can’t help but chuckle as she watches her friend wriggle around excitedly. “It was.”

Luz stops to look at her, eyes soft. “ _You_ were amazing.” Her voice is quiet, fond, and Amity’s chest tightens in a strange way. It feels all…warm, and kind of tingly? She’s never experienced a sensation quite like this before.

“I-I…you…” Amity fights to form words that make sense. She blurts out the first coherent thought she has. “You were amazing too!”

She feels like an idiot for stating the obvious, but Luz giggles, looking pleased. “Thanks,” She says, uncharacteristically shy sounding, “We make a pretty great team, huh?”

“Yeah,” Amity finds herself agreeing, feeling the words carry some sort of weight with them, “We do, don’t we?”

The silence this time is filled with something Amity can’t quite place. It’s pleasant, but also suffocating in a way.

Luz suddenly perks up. “Hey why don’t we celebrate this victory with some ice cream? We can even watch the sunset before you go, I know the perfect spot!”

Amity has never heard a better sounding idea in her life. She wonders if maybe Luz would hold her hand too…

“T-That sounds great!”

* * *

So, it turns out that the ‘perfect spot’ Luz mentioned is actually at the top of a 40 foot tall tree. Amity doesn’t quite know how to feel about this yet, so she refrains from commenting until they get to the top. Sure, she is no stranger to heights, she has ridden flying magical staves and even a griffin once on her 10th birthday. But humans do not have magic to save them if they fall, and so she worries for her friend’s safety. _Does she climb this high on a regular basis?_

Luz is obliviously chatting away above her as they carefully ascend the rope ladder. “The view of the horizon is great up here, you’ll see!” She tells Amity with a grin, adjusting the plastic bag hanging from her arm. The ice cream cups would probably be partially melted by the time they got to the top. Amity didn’t really mind though.

“I climbed like, five other trees before I picked this one,” Luz continues, ladder wobbling a bit whenever she tries to gesture for emphasis. Amity is thankful that she is beneath her so she can steady the ladder for them both. “And I can confirm that this tree,” Luz pats the trunk fondly, “Is the best.”

Amity would normally find her friend’s enthusiasm adorable if she weren’t so concerned for her safety.

Moments later, when they reach the top, Amity _understands_.

“Wow…” her breath leaves her at the scenery before her. They are well above the tree line up here, and the woods stretch out for miles. There’s a far away city sitting on the horizon, cutting through the golden sky with its darkening silhouette. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, I think so too.” Amity turns to see Luz smiling at her and holding out her ice cream cup for her to take. She had chosen ‘mint’, a flavor that also exists in the Boiling Isles, but Amity is a bit surprised that the ice cream here is green and not purple like it usually is.

They settle on a branch together and look out over the horizon. It’s a bit awkward figuring out how to balance herself and eat at the same time, but eventually Amity is able to find a comfortable position. She tries not to think about how close they are sitting, or how their shoulders touch.

It is peaceful up here, almost like a world apart from the one below them. Amity wills time to slow down so that she doesn’t have to leave this place, this moment.

“So um,” Luz breaks the silence, fiddling nervously with her spoon, “I just wanted to say thanks. For sticking up for me back there.”

Amity opens her mouth to reply, to tell her that she would do it again without hesitation, but Luz continues. “That kind of stuff happens to me often at school, though it’s a little better since my mom and I moved here,” she shrugs, not meeting Amity’s stare, “Well anyway, I didn’t really have any real friends before you so…I guess what I’m trying to say is, thanks, for being my friend.”

Amity had always been under the assumption that everyone loved Luz, because really, how could anyone not like her? She was wonderful! So to find this out leaves her feeling sad and empty and upset. She only wishes that there was something she could say or do to take away that pain she knows Luz is harboring. She also wishes that she was better at comforting others, but she will try her best for Luz’s sake.

“I’m so sorry. It must be really hard to deal with all of that,” Amity gathers her courage and takes Luz’s hand to give it a comforting squeeze. “If I can do anything to help—”

“You _are_ helping!” Luz cuts in quickly, gently brushing her thumb over Amity’s knuckles. “You are.” She repeats, softer.

Amity feels warm inside, and maybe it is just the moment they seem to be having, but she feels like she can open up and be vulnerable too.

“I’m like them, you know,” She finds herself confessing, “At my school, I’m like those girls from earlier, I…I-I’m not nice, and I say hurtful things that I don’t really mean to people that don’t deserve it…” She thinks of Willow, her once-upon-a-time best friend, and feels her self-loathing boil up to the surface. _Luz deserves better than someone like me._

“I’m a bully, Luz.”

There’s a beat of silence where Amity mentally stews in her own personal torture. Finally, Luz speaks. “Why?”

Amity’s first reaction is to tell her that she doesn’t know, but she knows that is not actually true. No, the truth is that she knew exactly why, has let it consume her in the dead of the night as she lies awake and ponders her life.

“I thought I couldn’t have real friends.” The words cut like glass on their way out, but she forces herself to say them, “My parents choose who I spend time with, forcing anyone else they deem unsuitable out of my life for good…” Her heart wrenches when Willow’s teary-eyed expression flashes through her mind. “I guess I just decided to keep them all away from me, to protect myself from being forced to lose anyone else…” Ugh, she feels pathetic admitting all of this. Maybe she is losing her mind right now because she can’t stop the words from pouring out of her like blood from an open wound. “I know that it’s wrong and hurtful to others and I feel so worthless for letting my parents control me like this but I don’t know what else to do…” Her eyes sting and she suddenly realizes that they’re filling with tears. _Titan, now I’m crying in front of her like a loser._

An arm slips around her shoulder, like an umbrella sheltering her from boiling rain. “Hey,” Luz soothes her quietly, “I know that you’re not a mean person, Amity. I’ve seen it. And you are _not_ worthless either, okay? You are thoughtful, and kind, and super smart,” she gives her shoulder a little squeeze, “I also know that once you decide something, no one can stop you. Like today, for example. You were amazing!”

Amity sniffles out a choked sounding laugh. “You already said that earlier.”

“And I meant it then too!” Luz says with a laugh, “Amity, I know that if you try to be better, then you _can_ be.” She smiles, a gentle sort of expression that feels like benediction.

Amity stifles a sob that wracks her frame from deep within her chest like a violent tidal wave. Luz believed in her. Believes that she can be better, that she can become a good person. Amity does not believe she deserves that kind of faith, given all that she has said and done, but she swears that she will ensure it is not misplaced. _I want to protect people instead of hurting them._

“Thanks Luz.” Her voice is thick with tears, but she hopes Luz understands how grateful she is for her words.

“I can’t even imagine what your parents must be like, to force you to get rid of your friends like that,” There is an unidentifiable emotion in Luz’s voice now, “But they won’t be able to get rid of me that easily.”

_Oh Luz, if only you knew what they are capable of. You would be afraid of them too._ Still, she is comforted by the sentiment, nonetheless.

“I wouldn’t want them to, I…” Amity suddenly feels the need to tell her, to reassure Luz that she would fight for her, for _them_ , “I-I would still find a way to see you, I promise!”

Luz smiles at her then, bright and warm like the setting sun on their faces. “I know.”

Amity watches the golden light play over her skin, illuminating her pretty brown eyes and glimmering in the dark locks of her hair. She would fight her parents for her, she thinks. She would fight _anyone_ for her. She…she just might… _love_ _her_. This incredible, caring, silly, beautiful mess of a Human.

That thought immediately terrifies her, so she quickly locks it away in a tiny little box that is kept deep within her heart.

“So, now that we’ve spilled that tea,” Luz chuckles, lightening the mood as if by magic, “Want to talk about the manga I lent you last week? I know you’ve read it already, so give me your honest opinion. No holding back!”

Amity, feeling lighter than she’s ever been, happily obliges.

* * *

The sun is just about finished setting when they decide to start climbing down. Luz is in the middle of a very animated story about a cartoon show involving sentient alien space rocks. Amity can’t quite remember the name of it, probably _Stephan Galaxy_ or something like that. She knows it has a space related title, at the very least.

“And then they get _married_ and oh my gosh Amity it was so cute I died!” Amity fondly watches her clumsily swing a leg over the branch to try and reach the first rung of the ladder. She moves to follow her, still listening to the (adorable) rant.

“And then the Diamonds showed up and crashed the wedding!” Luz flings an arm out dramatically, the motion swinging the ladder beneath them, “It was so crazy because we hadn’t really seen their characters in detail yet.”

Amity nods along happily, enjoying the explanation and finding the show interesting so far.

“And then there’s this big confrontation where—” **_Snap!_**

With a mighty cracking sound, the branch securing the rope ladder above them breaks off, sending them both plummeting downward at an alarming speed. There is no time to plan an action, to think. Amity reacts on pure instinct.

“Luz!” She screams, grabbing the girl and pulling her in close, whipping out a hand to trace a spell circle. _Abomination, catch us please!_

The earth quakes as a purple golem, larger than any Amity has ever summoned before, rises up to meet them. They land in a clumsy heap, unharmed, in its giant palms.

“Luz!” Amity sits up frantically, “Are you okay?” She could not see any injuries on her, but what if there was internal damage?

“Yeah, just a tiny bruise,” Luz is rubbing her forehead from where it had smacked against Amity’s shoulder, “You?”

“Yeah, I’m fi—”

“OH MY GOSH!” Luz shrieks and points when she sees the Abomination staring down at her placidly with its large glowing eyes. “I-Is that a GIANT PURPLE GOLEM?!”

Amity feels her stomach drop and her heart twist with anxiety. _I guess I couldn’t keep this a secret forever…_ She braces herself for the worst, even though she knows she still is not ready for it.

“It’s called an Abomination,” She tells her quietly, trying to keep her voice steady and calm, “I summoned it to catch us when we fell.”

Luz looks perplexed and blown away, brow furrowed and jaw slack. “You…Amity, you have _superpowers_?”

“Not superpowers,” Amity can’t bare to look at her right now, to see the judgement that is surely bound to come. “Magic.”

She stands up slowly, feeling Luz’s eyes on her like a burning pyre “I’m not a Human, Luz.” She brings her hands up, faintly trembling, to her hood.

She slowly pulls it down.

“I’m a Witch.”


	5. Consequences and Conspirators

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient guys! This chapter was written at like 2am, which seems to be a trend for me lol
> 
> I'm now starting to go outside of canon a wee bit as far as the Blight parents are concerned, just because we haven't actually met them in the show yet, so I've just given it my best guess lol
> 
> Any mistakes are my own plz don't sue! lol I kid, I kid.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Luz can only stare as the hood falls away.

_Oh._

She has always been aware of the fact that Amity was pretty; she has seen her face plenty of times, has glimpsed the stray locks of mint green hair that escaped the confines of the hoods she wore. But somehow seeing all of her at once like this hits Luz like a freight train.

Here, in the fading twilight, Amity is the prettiest girl Luz has ever seen. The hood no longer prevents the light from catching her eyes and setting them aglow like molten gold. Her hair, now revealed to be brown at the roots, is held in a cute half-up-half-down style that suits her perfectly.

And then there were the ears.

 _She has pointed ears…!_ Luz can’t help but stare like a gob smacked idiot. They were so refined and delicate looking, reminiscent of some sort of fantasy princess from an anime or videogame. _They’re so cute…would it be weird if I asked to touch them?_

And then suddenly Amity’s words catch up to her. A Witch, she had said. Luz’s friend is actually a magical girl with elf ears. She pinches herself really quick, just to make sure that fall didn’t knock her unconscious or something. _Ouch. Nope! This is definitely happening. Wow!_

She must be taking too long to actually respond because Amity starts to frantically apologize. “I-I’m really sorry for not telling you!” She shifts nervously from foot to foot, not meeting her eyes, “I’m honestly not even supposed to be here with you, but I’ve always wanted to have somewhere to go, you know? A-And when we met at the Azura booth you were so sweet—I mean _accepting_! You just let me be myself and I really wanted to see you again so I lied to you and pretended to be a Human so we could spend time together, which was selfish of me to do, I know, and—” Amity is rambling, hands anxiously folding over each other, cheeks flushed and gaze stuck to the floor.

 _Oh no, she thinks that I’m mad at her!_ Luz’s awe and excitement die out immediately once she realizes that her friend is panicking. She needs to soothe, to reassure Amity that no, she wasn’t mad. Far from it, in fact. This is the single most amazing thing she’s ever experienced! This was _awesome_!

Luz decides to do the first comforting thing that comes to mind and hugs Amity, gently so that she could pull away if she wished to. The girl doesn’t. Amity’s shoulders stiffen slightly, but she brings her arms up to hesitantly reciprocate the hold.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Luz soothes, tone softer due to proximity, “Amity, I’m not mad okay? You weren’t supposed to be my friend, but you chose to be anyway. I understand why you would want to keep this a secret. You were just scared and wanted to protect yourself, right?”

Amity sniffles and burrows deeper into the embrace, curling into her. It’s so sweet and endearing that Luz can’t help but grin like a fool at how cute it is.

“You’re…you’re really not mad?” Amity’s voice is muffled by her shoulder, but her tone sounds both hopeful and fragile in a way that makes Luz want to hold her just a little bit tighter. She hadn’t noticed it at first, but Amity’s shampoo smells really nice. It’s sweet and floral, with a hint of something else Luz can’t quite discern. It’s calming to inhale. Feels like being indoors wrapped in a soft blanket with a mug of tea during a thunderstorm.

“I’m not mad,” she promises, and then because she really can’t help herself adds, “I actually have like, _SO_ many questions.”

More questions than she could probably count. Like honestly, her entire world view has just been turned on its head. Magic is confirmed _real_ , Witches are confirmed _real_ ; it’s all a bit mind-blowing, really. As much as Luz had held out hope for the possibility of something _more_ existing out there, a growing part of her had begun to accept that _real_ life would never be like the stories she loves. That she would eventually have to settle for a boring life of normality and monotony. Now it’s all _real_ , and she wants to know _everything_.

A slight tremor passes through them as Amity chuckles into her neck. “I’m sure you do.”

Luz can’t help but smile wryly. “Although, this does explain a lot.” Like how Amity didn’t have a phone, or how she didn’t know what basketball was, or how she had never ridden in a car before that one time Luz’s mom drove them to the library, and then there was the infamous microwave incident…

Honestly, Luz is surprised this wasn’t something she noticed sooner. She supposes that maybe she should’ve been more questioning about these things. _But wow, she’s an actual Witch! I always knew they were real!_ She briefly wonders if Azura is real too. Amity would totally tell her if she was, right?

“I’m really glad you don’t hate me…” Amity mumbles against her, sounding tired and relieved. Luz wants to laugh at the idea that she could ever hate Amity.

“I could never hate you, Amity. Not in a million years!” Luz assures her, giving her shoulders a little squeeze. _In fact, I…_

“Then I guess I should probably start explaining everything,” Amity is pulling away, and Luz feels the chill of the evening air settle in her absence. She folds her arms to try and stave off the cold and shivers a bit.

“Oh, are you cold?” Amity quickly draws a little glowing circle in the air with a finger and a tiny ball of purple fire sputters to life in her palm. She shyly offers it to Luz, who can only stare in amazement because her friend just _summoned fire out of thin air_ like it was nothing.

“I’m uh, not very good with fire magic yet, so it’s really weak, but it should at least be enough to keep you warm.” Amity is explaining, still holding the little flame out to her.

Luz carefully reaches out and watches with wide eyes as the tiny fireball drifts between them to hover in her hands. It’s soothingly warm, like a pocket-sized sunlamp. _Oh my gosh! I’m holding a REAL magic fireball!_

“This is so cool!” She gushes at a pink-cheeked Amity, who shrugs sheepishly.

“Technically, it’s supposed to be warm…”

Luz giggles. “Touché.”

“Uh, what?”

“Human saying. Basically means ‘You’re right’.”

“Oh, alright,” Amity smiles, hesitant, “So, you said you had questions?”

Luz beams. _I don’t even know where to start!_

“ _So_ many questions!”

And so they spend the next hour or so locked in an excited Q&A session. Well, Luz is excited, and Amity is just patiently answering the rapid fire slew of questions as best as she can. And luz is learning so much!

Turns out, Amity is from a place called _The Boiling Isles_ , which aside from sounding cool and mysterious, is a place full of magic and witches and demons. Luz learns about covens, groups of witches who dedicate themselves to one particular field of magic, sacrificing the rest of their magic in favor of the one they choose. While she feels a bit sad about the idea of young witches having to pick only one type of magic, she finds the whole institution of differing magical tracks fascinating. Amity tells her that she is trying to do well in school so she can get accepted into the most exclusive and prestigious _Emperor’s Coven_ , which is apparently the only one that allows its members to retain all of their magic.

Luz firmly believes that Amity will be accepted. _I don’t think there’s anything she can’t do if she tries…_

Luz tells her this, and Amity gives her that fragile little smile she sometimes has. As if she wants so badly to believe her words but is afraid and unsure. Luz makes a silent promise to help Amity reach her goal however she can.

“Oh Titan, the time!” Amity is suddenly scrambling to her feet, the little purple flame vanishing with a little ‘pop’. She brushes the leaves from her pants and regards the now darkened evening sky with anguish. “I’m so late…”

Luz stands up too. “Will your parents be super mad?” What a silly question. Luz has heard enough to know that Amity was definitely in trouble over this. She suddenly feels guilty about making her stay and answering her dumb questions. _I’m the reason she’s going to be in trouble with her parents…_

Amity looks at her then, and Luz watches the tightness drain from her expression. “Most definitely,” Amity sighs, but then offers her a hesitant smile tinted with rebellion, “But it’s worth it.”

The implied _you’re worth it_ in her voice and expression does funny things to Luz’s heart.

“Just be careful, okay?” Luz can’t help but be concerned still. She knows that Amity’s parents are very controlling and she worries about her getting into trouble with them for seeing her. “I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me…”

Amity smirks, but it is carrying something lonely. “Don’t worry, I can handle it.” The words seem to put a lid on the issue, and silence falls over them.

There’s a moment where they simply regard each other, breathing in the space between. Amity’s eyes take on a more amber hue now in the fading light, making them appear less piercing and more soft.

 _She really is pretty…_ A thought shared in unison, unbeknownst to the other.

Luz shakes her head to chase away the haze. She clears her throat. “So, you have to go now but…same time, same place?”

Amity breaks out into a smile, brilliant and open and stunning in a way that Luz has no words for.

“Of course!” And then, for the first time ever, Amity hugs her first. It’s quick and firm and over too soon, leaving them both a little pink in the cheeks. “W-Would, uh, would you like to see the portal door?”

Luz finally recovers and nods enthusiastically. “Oh my gosh, yes please!” _A real interdimensional portal door!_

Amity leads her to an old abandoned house residing deep within the nature park. Luz observes the peeling roof shingles, the rotting holes in the porch, and wonders who had lived there. _Maybe another Witch?_

Amity takes a tiny golden key out of her pocket and suddenly a giant door is unfolding out of thin air before them.

“Whoa.” Luz stares slack-jawed at the giant yellow dragon’s eye ingrained in the dark wood. “That’s so cool! You can just summon a dimensional portal door with a key?”

Amity chuckles, shrugging. “That’s how it works. I don’t fully understand the magic behind it though. This is the only portal leading to your world that I know of, and I’m really just borrowing it.”

Luz takes this in for a moment. Suddenly the whole “it’s hard for me to travel here” thing makes a lot more sense.

“That’s really cool…” She can’t help but voice her opinion on the door. She briefly wonders if there are other doors to other worlds like this one.

The door opens to a blinding white light. Amity steps up to the threshold, turning back to give her a little wave. They both pause a moment, reluctant to let their time together end. Luz finally waves back, watching her friend’s silhouette step into the pale light and vanish.

The door slams shut and folds into itself until nothing more remains. The room falls cold and dim and silent. Luz stands there alone in the abandoned home, staring at the empty space where the door once was.

* * *

The door closes behind Amity, folding itself up into a small brown briefcase that she carefully picks up so as not to scuff it up in any way. She knows that Eda the Owl Lady has placed a lot of trust in her by consistently lending her the portal door and Amity wants to do right by that.

“Hey kid, running a little late today,” the woman comments as Amity places the briefcase on the kitchen counter, along with the summoning key, “Didn’t run into any trouble, did you?” The Owl Lady looks her up and down with what might possibly be concern. “Not that it matters to me, but…” she trails off with a shrug.

Amity has become used to their back-and-forth by now, having spent weeks interacting with the older witch. The Owl Lady was actually a very kind person, but she likes to maintain a certain air of aloofness. Amity often wonders how anyone think of such a person as one of the most dangerous criminals on the Isles. _She barely even remembers to brush her hair, and I had to turn off the stove the other day when she fell asleep at the counter, and I’m pretty sure she has worn that same shirt for a week straight now._

“I was talking to a friend,” Amity answers, watching the older witch cut up some Moon Tree roots. She remembers reading about the ingredient during one of her self-assigned potion studies. _Those are only used in anti-curse brews…I wonder what she’s making?_

“A friend, huh?” the woman snorts, “You’ve been going through an awful lot of trouble to see this _friend_ of yours.”

Amity feels herself blush against her will, the warmth of Luz’s arms lingering like a ghost upon her skin. “I-I don’t know what you’re insinuating!” she huffs, trying (and failing) not to sound too defensive about it. “We were just talking!”

The woman chuckles, looking way too amused. “Heh, sure, whatever you say, kid.” She turns back around to tend to her cauldron, still chuckling to herself, “Now run along home before your parents send out a search party or something.”

Unable to argue with that, Amity heads to the door. Her parents will more than likely punish her for arriving home so late, but today had been worth it. Amity feels lighter than she has in years. Being completely honest with Luz about everything, and being accepted for it all, makes her feel like she’s been reborn. She pauses, one hand on the knob.

“Thanks again, Miss Eda.” She calls over her shoulder, “For everything.”

The Owl Lady pauses in stirring, but Amity is already gone before she can hear the mumbled response of “Don’t mention it kiddo.”

* * *

“You’re late coming home today, mija,” Luz’s mom calls to her from the kitchen. The house is warm and smells like delicious food, making her stomach rumble in longing.

“Lo siento, mami!” Luz clumsily shucks off her shoes and crams them into the cubby by the door, “I walked Amity home, but we got carried away talking about stuff.”

She rounds the corner to see her mom smiling warmly at her from the other side of the stove. “I’m happy for you, niña.” She bends down to check on something in the oven, “Amity is a sweet girl. Very polite!”

Luz feels warmth rise in her cheeks. Hearing her mother praise Amity made her feel really happy and fluttery inside. “She is, mami,” she agrees easily, feeling proud on her friend’s behalf, “Amity’s the coolest, smartest, most amazing person I know! I’m so lucky we became friends.”

Her mother chuckles, clearly amused by something. “Your father was my best friend too. I remember the few times we stayed up for hours talking, watching the waves at the beach…” she smiles wistfully, “We didn’t notice how long it had been until we saw the sun come up!” she giggles, “Your Abuela was _tan furiosa_ , and I was grounded for a week.”

Luz chuckles with her, imagining her Abuela getting mad at her mom for staying out all night. Her grandma was usually so sweet and doting that it was hard to picture her getting angry.

“I’m making enchiladas tonight,” her mom tells her, looking a bit excited, “Also I know you’ve been really trying to be good in school lately, and I’m really proud of you, so I picked up some of those pastries you like from our favorite bakery.”

Luz hadn’t actually been trying to be better in school, per se, it just so happened that she has other things to think about now. Planning out things to do and see with Amity has become her new favorite pastime, so she has been keeping busy with that instead of her usual school escapades.

Still, her mom is happy so she counts that as a win. Plus, she gets to eat some yummy flaky guava pastries! “Mi favorito! Muchas gracis mami!”

She also makes a mental note to bring Amity some so she can try them. _I wonder what kind of desserts they have in her world?_

One day maybe Amity will show her. It couldn’t hurt to ask, right? Oh, but what if it was like _Spirited Away_ rules and she couldn’t eat their food or she would be stuck there forever or something? Amity would totally tell her if that were the case, right?

One thing is for sure, there is nothing Luz wants more than to see Amity’s world with her.

* * *

The Blight Manor is cold and dark when Amity slips quietly through the wrought iron doors. She hopes that no one noticed she was absent for so long.

“Mittens where were you?!” A hissed whisper draws her attention to Edric, who appears to have been pacing the foyer. He looks agitated, and Emira is nowhere to be seen, which is usually a bad sign.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Amity matches his hushed tone, “  
I got held up coming back. I’ll tell you both later.”

Edric nods, eyes darting towards the grand staircase every few moments. “Mother’s in a real state because you missed dinner. Em’s trying to calm her down, but…”

_Oh no, poor Em. I hope she’s okay by herself…_ Amity really owes them both for all the help they have given her. She regrets being such a snitch before. “What excuse did you use?”

Edric folds his arms. “We told her that you were traing by yourself on The Knee because you had a test coming up. Speaking of…” he traces out a spell circle, and Amity’s attire transforms into a thick winter coat and wooly snow boots. “Got to be convincing, you know?” He gives her a playful wink, though Amity can see that he’s still concerned.

She opens her mouth to reply, but is cut short by a voice colder than the snow on The Knee. A voice that berates her from the back of her mind during moments of weakness.

“Amity Blight.”

The lamp lights flicker all around them as the air grows a few degrees colder. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Amity feels every muscle in her body tense as she looks up to find her mother gliding down the staircase, golden eyes locked on her like a snake that has spotted a field mouse. At the top of the landing, Emira grimaces apologetically as she trails dutifully after her. _I guess Em couldn’t stall her any longer._

“I apologize, mother,” Amity maintains a well-practiced neutral tone, refusing to let her voice waver for even a moment, “I was absorbed in my training and I lost track of the time.”

Technically this could be true, as basketball might be viewed as a kind of training if one wished to call it such. Amity prays that this technicality is enough, that her mother will not see past it. That her mother, the highest ranked Oracle Prodigy, would not discern the truth. _But mother always knows…_

There is a pause, a brief moment where she silently holds her breath and meets her mother’s piercing gaze. Those eyes seem to peer right into her mind.

Her mother’s expression sours, eyes narrowing to slits, and Amity feels her heart stop out of pure dread.

“You are _lying_.”

The accusation strikes her like a judge’s gavel.

“She’s not, mother!” Edric quickly asserts, “Emira and I both saw her hike out towards The Knee.”

Their mother waves a hand, effectively dismissing him. “Enough.” Her eyes have not left Amity’s, and the girl can feel them practically burning holes into her brain. “You and Emira shall go to your rooms for the night.”

There’s a beat where everything appears frozen. No one moves or says anything.

“As you wish, mother,” Edric says politely, with false sweetness.

He also takes a moment to hug Amity, patting her back in a way that is oddly grounding. He also surreptitiously slips something into her coat pocket before pulling away. “Goodnight, dear sister.” He bids, glancing at their mother out of the corner of his eye. He raises a single brow before quickly turning away and joining Emira on the stairs.

And just like that, Amity is alone against her mother as her siblings slink forlornly up the stairs. Her mother’s gaze has still not relented.

“I will give you one chance to tell me the truth.” The threat feels like hands around her throat, constricting like a noose.

_Should I tell her? She’ll find out anyway…_

Amity feels anxiety writhe within her stomach like a pack of angry hornets. She bids her hands not to tremble, and steels herself. _I can’t let her find out. Not about Luz. I at least have to try—!_

“I am telling the truth, mother,” Amity feels a cold calm wash over her. She has decided. No matter what happens next, she will not let her mother discover Luz. This time, she will stand firm and protect her friend. “I was training for an exam at school.”

Her mother’s eyes glint with something dangerous. “Very well.” The woman sighs with exasperation, as if she had known that Amity would not cave. “You know what happens next.”

A hand is extended, palm up, waiting like a snare set for prey. Amity feels an icy wave of pure fear wash over her as she regards her mother’s hand. “Mother please, surely this isn’t necessary—”

“Give me your hand, **_now_.**” The woman’s voice cuts like a shard of cold glass.

_If I give her my hand, she’ll see everything!_

Before Amity can even protest, her wrist is being snared by her mother cold fingers. They dig into her skin in a vice-like grip that she can’t pull away from.

“Let us see what you were _really_ doing, hmm?” her mother’s voice is sickly sweet compared to the biting iron grip on her wrist, and Amity feels a spike of sheer panic. _She’s going to see everything!_

Her mother’s eyes alight with a violet glow as she reads her palm. Amity is forced to glimpse flashes of events earlier that day behind her own eyelids as her mother peruses them. She watches herself absently sketch the little _Azura_ doodles she did in class today, sees Boscha picking on Willow at lunch, listens to Principal Bump tell her what book he needed from the library. The events of the day swim through her vision like a distorted film reel and all Amity can do is helplessly watch with dread as they get closer and closer to the moment she leaves for the Owl House. _No…Please don’t…!_

But then her mother is pulling away, looking irritated. “I don’t have time for this nonsense,” she growls derisively, “You are grounded for the next week for missing dinner. I expect you to still ensure that your school performance does not slip. And this tardiness will not happen again. Am I clear?”

Amity can’t believe her luck! She had been just seconds away from her mother finding out everything! She tries not to let her immense relief show. “Yes, mother. I understand.”

Her mother rubs her temple and waves her away. Amity tries not to trip in her haste up the stairs.

_I can’t believe it. I got away with it! She doesn’t know!_ Amity now understands why her siblings were such trouble makers. The rush she feels at the moment is practically intoxicating.

She’s so caught up in her own relief that she fails to notice two pairs of hands grab her shirt and yank her sideways into a room.

The door closes behind her and she meets the two concerned gazes of her older siblings.

“So?” Emira is looking her over, “How did it go?”

Edric smirks, looking far less worried. “I bet she had better things to do, right Mittens?” he quickly reaches into the pocket of Amity’s coat and pulls out a tiny silver pocket watch, dangling it victoriously.

Emira’s eyes widen and a smirk blooms on her face. “Oh Ed, you are such a little sneak!” She giggles, obviously pleased.

“One of the very best, thank you,” He takes a little bow before stashing the watch in his own pocket. Amity is confused by the exchange to say the least.

“Mind filling me in?” She grumbles, feeling a little left out.

“It’s a charmed watch we won in a game of Hexes Hold’em,” Emira explains, “It makes anyone persecuting the holder feel like they’re late for something.”

Edric nods along, still sporting a smug grin. “We use it on mother all the time. It’s why she hardly ever second guesses our excuses.”

Well. That certainly explains the crazy stroke of luck Amity had earlier.

“So tell what happened with the Human that made you so late,” Emira sounds eager to gossip. Amity internally groans at how nosy they still are.

“I ended up telling Luz that I’m a Witch.” She says, remembering how absolutely terrified she had been in that moment. “I told her everything.”

“And?” the twins chorus, leaning in eagerly.

“Did she freak out?” Emira guesses.

“Did she ask you to do magic?” Edric chimes in.

Amity huffs. “No, and no.” She allows herself a small smile, remembering how Luz had held her and reassured her that she wasn’t upset. She remembers how nice it pleasant, how being in her arms made her feel safe. She suddenly feels a bit ridiculous for thinking that, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. “She was cool with it.”

“Most humans are,” Edric says with a shrug, “Some will be freaked out, but most will think it’s neat and ask you to come to their parties.”

Emira is smirking at her, eyes gleaming, but she says nothing. Amity wonders what is going through her mind.

“One time,” Edric is continuing, “This guy asked me what character I was trying to be, and I told him ‘the best one, obviously’ because I am the best me, of course. Long story short, him and his friends made a fan club for me because they liked my, uh…what was the word they used…” he trails off with a thoughtful pout.

Emira rolls her eyes at him before turning back to Amity. “So Luz knows now, huh?” She raises a brow, “Are you going to invite her to Bonesborough and show her around?”

Amity hadn’t really thought of that. She knows that Luz would absolutely love to see everything the Isles had to offer. It would be nice to have an outing together like that. They could go shopping, eat lunch together, have fun in the demon markets…

“Cosplay!” Edric suddenly blurts, triumphant, “I don’t know what that actually is, I think it’s a Human word for ‘fashion sense’, but either way they were right to appreciate my style.”

This time both sisters roll their eyes.

“I think it would be nice to show her around, but what if something happens to her?” Amity wonders aloud. Luz could be…enthusiastic, which was a trait that Amity found hopelessly endearing. As for being subtle, Luz would probably blow their cover as soon as they arrived.

“Aw, that’s what you’re there for, Mittens.” Edric coos, “You can just protect her when you’re on your date.”

Amity’s cheeks flame at the mere implication that Luz and her--!

“It’s not a date!” She blurts, feeling her face grow even hotter.

“Well you can just keep her safe on your ‘not date’ then.” Emira replies placatingly. Amity folds her arms. _They always have to mess with me!_

“Em and I could help, if you want?” Edric offers, looking way too cheerful, “We could all hang out together, maybe tell her some fun stories…”

Amity knows exactly what kind of ‘stories’ they would tell her friend. The extremely embarrassing kind.

“You’re not coming with us,” She retorts without any real bite, “A-And don’t embarrass me in front of her, okay?”

Emira giggles. “Don’t worry, we won’t,” she glance pointedly at her twin, “Right, Ed?”

Edric smirks like a Cheshire cat. “Don’t worry Mittens, we won’t embarrass you in front of your ‘not girlfriend’.”

A loud thump reverberates from the ceiling of Mr. Blight’s study, followed by the rambunctious shouting of his children drifting drown from above him. He sighs tiredly and resumes reading the reports on his desk.

**Author's Note:**

> So thoughts? Feel free to share in the comments, also if you wanna rant about the show I'm down to hear any cool headcanons. Especially lumity ones lol


End file.
